Chris’s voice was still hanging in the air when Allen turned slowly toward him.For a second, nobody moved. The babies’ cries filled the apartment — thin, frantic, echoing off walls that suddenly felt too close.Then Allen laughed. It was low, soft, and disbelieving.“Hm.” His eyes dragged over Chris from head to toe. “The overprotective one.”Chris didn’t rise to it. He shut the door behind him carefully, like he didn’t want the noise to travel down the hall. His jaw was tight, but his voice came out even.“What are you doing here?” He asked again.Allen tilted his head slightly, amusement curling at the corner of his mouth.“So you’re with her?”There was silence. Chris’s grip tightened around the grocery bag. Plastic crinkled.Mia could feel the tension in the room like a living thing.Allen glanced toward the hallway again as another cry broke out — sharper this time, impatient.Chris looked toward the sound and called gently, steady despite everything, “Iris, go and attend to the
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