“I THOUGHT he was gone.”
Lily’s voice was barely above a whisper, but in the quiet living room it sounded loud enough to shake the walls.
Snow pressed softly against the windows of the Brook compound, turning the outside world into a muted blur of white. Somewhere down the hall, Mary hummed to herself while putting away dishes from the late breakfast.
Everything looked peaceful.
Nothing felt peaceful.
Ronan stood near the fireplace with his arms crossed, jaw tight, eyes dark with barely restrained fury. Jeremiah leaned against the back of the couch, watching Lily as if she might disappear if he looked away.
“He should be gone,” Ronan said. “He was supposed to be out of our lives.”
Lily wrapped her hands around her mug of untouched coffee. “He promised he would leave me alone.”
“Men
