CHAPTER TEN — The First Fracture By the time Evelyn returned home that evening, her mind still felt foggy. The café shift, her father’s unexpected visit, and Jesse’s steady presence had left her mentally overloaded, like she’d lived three days in the span of one. She opened the front door and found her mother at the dining table, surrounded by paperwork bills, recipe cards, and a notebook full of half-written plans. Marie looked up immediately. “You okay, sweetheart?” Evelyn shrugged out of her jacket. “I think so. Dad stopped by the café.” Marie froze. “Oh.” “He wasn’t… bad,” Evelyn said. “Just honest. Almost too honest.” Marie lowered her pen. “He wants to fix things, you know.” “I know.” Evelyn sank into a chair. “I’m not sure how I feel yet.” “That’s perfectly allowed,” her mom said. Before Evelyn could reply, her phone buzzed. A message from Jesse: I found something. It concerns us. Can we meet? Her stomach tightened. She typed back: What did you find?
Last Updated : 2025-12-06 Read more