LAUREN'S POV

His words hung in the air for a moment, sinking into my chest like cold water.

“Three days? Is that supposed to be some kind of joke?” I asked, my voice trembling slightly despite my best effort to keep it calm. “How do you think that would work? I’m her mother — I’m supposed to spend more time with her. We share a closer bond, Ethan.”

“And that’s exactly why I’m going to take four days,” he shot back, his voice sharp and cold. “I want to bond with Elena. I know I haven’t been showing up for her these past few weeks, but I wanna make up...