Damian’s POV

It had been twenty-seven days since the samples were taken at the DNA facility in Jersey City. Twenty-seven long, dragging, silent days that felt like someone had stretched time until it thinned out and wrapped around his throat.

The house had returned to its usual rhythm. Evelyn had settled into her routine with Jayden—feeding him, bathing him, learning his patterns, humming soft lullabies at odd hours of the day. She smiled more now, but there were moments when she paused, ...