Page 25 of The Edge Of Us

I pulled into the driveway. The house—our house—looked different now. Smaller. Colder. Like it was bracing itself against me.

I reached the porch and barely lifted my hand to knock before the door burst open—

"Daddy!"

Kyle flew into me, his little arms wrapping around my legs with the kind of trust I no longer deserved. I bent and scooped him up, holding him tightly as his small hands tangled in the collar of my coat.

"I missed you so much," he mumbled into my neck.

I squeezed my eyes shut. "I missed you too, buddy. So, so much."

"Mommy cried a lot," he added softly. "Even Grandma couldn’t make her stop."

My chest caved in.

"Where were you?" he asked.

I didn’t have an answer he could understand. So I just whispered, "Daddy had to think about some things. But I’m here now."

Before he could ask more questions, a piercing wail rang through the house—Astrid.

Kyle scrambled down, and I rushed inside.

Corinne was on the couch, hunched over, her arms curled around our baby girl. Her mother sat beside her, whispering something I couldn’t hear. Corinne’s face was pale, her lips cracked, her eyes hollow from crying. Astrid wailed in her arms, red-faced and inconsolable.

The moment Corinne saw me, her whole body recoiled like she’d been struck.

"Get out."

Her voice was quiet, but sharp. Deadly.

I took a step forward. "Corinne, please—"

"GET OUT!" she screamed.

And then I was on the floor.

The world spun sideways as pain exploded in my jaw. I tasted blood. I barely saw the blur of movement before Jake’s fist landed again—this time in my ribs.

"You sick bastard!" Jake snarled, looming over me.

"Jake, stop!" Noah barked, grabbing him from behind. "You’ll kill him."

"Good!" Jake yelled. "Let him rot for what he did!"

I wiped my mouth, feeling the sting of a split lip.

My parents stood frozen in the doorway—my mother’s hand covered her mouth, and my father just looked… disappointed. Like he was watching a stranger.

And then—Natasha appeared.

She paused in the hallway, pale, eyes rimmed red. Her gaze wasn’t on me.

She was staring straight at Noah.

And Noah… was staring back, like he’d seen a ghost.

Corinne noticed. She turned her head, slow and deliberate, and followed Natasha’s line of sight.

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