Lily's point of view

As I mixed the spaghetti sauce, my slow, methodical movements filled the apartment with the aroma of butter and garlic. I had always cooked as a ritual, something to help me stay grounded when things got out of hand.

With his eyes fixed on the cartoon that was playing gently on my tablet, Aiden sat cross-legged on the kitchen counter and swung his tiny legs back and forth. He was so naive and blissfully ignorant of the impending storm. It was about normalcy tonight.

No, Marcus and at least in the house we are away from whatever gossip is flying around. No rumors regarding my history,...