Semua Bab In Love With My Son's Best Friend: Bab 91 - Bab 93

JUNE’S POVThe door slam wasn’t just a sound in this house. It was a punctuation mark. This one, sharp and final, came from down the hall, Marlene’s room. My body went still in the middle of folding a towel. The laundry room air felt suddenly thick and hot. Minor drama, Luca’s text had said. Sorted out, don’t worry. Bullshit. Nothing that ends with a slam like that is sorted. It’s ignited.I finished the fold with careful precision, set the towel on the stack, and listened. Heavy footsteps, most likely Adrian’s, stomped past the door toward the kitchen. The fridge opened, then slammed shut. Franklin was supposedly at the office, but the house felt crowded with all the things we weren’t saying. I needed to see her. I needed to know what minor drama looked like on my daughter’s face.I found her curled on her bed, face buried in her pillow. Not sobbing, but her shoulders were rigid with the effort of holding it in. “Marlene?” I kept my voice soft, sitting on the edge of the bed the way

JUNE’S POVThe silence after Franklin’s question roared in my ears. My own heartbeat was a frantic drum against my ribs, and I could almost hear the faint creak of the floorboard outside the door, the shift of weight that meant Luca was still there.Frozen, eyes wild and probably listening. Franklin’s eyes moved over my face like a scanner, looking for the lie he already knew was there. The final gong of the grandfather clock vibrated up through the bones of my feet.I forced a laugh. It came out thin and brittle, like ice cracking. “Expecting someone? Who would I be expecting at midnight, Franklin? The Tooth Fairy?” I crossed my arms tighter, my nails digging half-moons into my own biceps. The sharp, specific pain helped. “You’re the one skulking around. What’s really going on?”It was a pathetic counterattack, but it bought seconds. I prayed Luca had heard Franklin’s voice and had the sense to vanish.Franklin did not blink. He took another step into the room, and the intimate moonl