Mia's POVThe apartment is quiet when we get home.I unlock the door and Gas pushes past me first, her nails clicking on the hardwood in that urgent rhythm that means she's been holding it together all day and now she can finally relax. She heads straight for her water bowl and laps at it like she's been crossing a desert, water splashing onto the mat beneath."Shoes off," I remind the children.Alexander is already kicking his off before the words are fully out of my mouth. They go flying—one hits the wall with a soft thud, the other lands somewhere near the couch—and he looks at me with that expression that's half innocent, half testing to see if I'll call him on it."Alexander.""What?""Pick them up. Put them in the basket."He sighs with his entire body, head dropping back, arms going limp at his sides, that dramatic five-year-old sigh that suggests I've asked him to climb Mount Everest in his socks, but he does it, shuffling over to retrieve both shoes and dropping them in the ba
Last Updated : 2025-11-06 Read more