AVA’S POV

The morning light entered softly through the sheer curtains, bringing in a pale glow over the kid's bedroom.

I watched the girls as they slept, their tiny chests beating in steadily, flooding me with warmth and hurt together

In the silence, I could almost pretend everything was normal like before their disappearance, before the endless moments of fear and the cold war lingering between me and Nicholas.

Then I heard it, my name.

It was as faint as a sigh, spoken from the other room. ...