My chest tightened. That voice. I knew it. I knew it instantly.

Celeste.

The name hit me like a physical blow. Ezekiel’s ex. The woman I had only ever heard whispered about, the one who had vanished from his life or so I thought.

Marga’s tiny hand trembled against my shirt. I bent closer, lowering my voice but keeping my gaze locked on the front door. “It’s okay, baby. Stay behind me. Mama’s right here.”

The shadow in the doorway shifted. The morning sunlight caught her figure, ...