Damian's POV

Stella ended up leaving work early.

The boys talked nonstop in the backseat, arguing over who would get to the video game first. Stella didn't say a single word.

I hadn't expected her to.

She always measured her words around me, like every sentence could be turned against her. She wasn't wrong.

When Jonas parked in front of the house, the boys were the first to jump out. Stella followed, backpacks in hand, trying to keep up that appearance of normalcy she'd been clinging t