*Michael*

My hands shook and trembled as I ran them through my hair, a futile attempt at calming the storm inside me. My fingers tangled in the strands, mirroring the knots twisting my stomach into tight coils of anxiety.

I glanced at Lucas and found his own expression etched with worry, then at Lauren. My eldest daughter's eyes mirrored my dread, her face pale, her posture tense as if she were bracing against a hurricane raging wildly in the quiet room.

“Shelby and I ...