“BE good for your father and don’t turn the house upside down,” she laughed lightly into the phone, and the boys’ giggles followed her even after the call ended.

Amelia slowly lowered the phone from her ear, the smile still lingering on her lips like a soft aftertaste. For a brief moment, she remained seated, staring at the blank screen as though she could still hear their excited chatter echoing from it. Gabriel had insisted on telling her, in dramatic detail, how “extremely professional” George was, while Gaddiel kept interrupting to narrate how beautiful Wendy was, as if he had just discovered a rare treasure. Even Adrian’s voice had drifted...