And that terrifies me more than anything else.
I grip the counter edge.My fingers are cold, my heart doing that stupid stutter again.
"Maybe after lunch," I tell Lily, hating the disappointment that flickers across her face.
The phone rings, and I grab it absently while spreading peanut butter on bread."Hello?"
Silence.Not the kind where someone's about to speak, but heavy, deliberate silence.Like someone's listening, waiting, breathing.
"Hello?"I say again, louder this time.
Still nothing.But I can hear it now, the soft sound of someone breathing on the other end of the line.
A chill runs down my spine as I hang up.This is the fourth call like this in three days, always during the day when the kids are around, always the same pattern.Someone calling just to listen, to let me know they're there.
Ethan's threat echoes in my head:"I'll show you what happens when you throw away everything good in your life."
I'm probably being paranoid.It could be a wrong number, telemarketing, anything.But the timing feels too convenient, too calculated.
The phone rings again, and this time I let it go to voicemail.When I play it back, there's nothing but ten seconds of breathing before the line goes dead.
"Who was that?"Emma asks, looking up from her homework.
"Nobody important," I lie, forcing a smile."Just a wrong number."
But my hands are shaking as I finish making lunch, and I can't shake the feeling that I'm being watched, hunted, played with like a mouse by a cat.
Twenty minutes later, as I'm helping Jake with his math homework, the doorbell rings.All five kids immediately perk up, hope lighting their faces.
"Is that Uncle Hades?"Sophie asks, already sliding off her chair.
"I don't know, sweetheart.Let me check."
But I already know it is.I can feel him on the other side of the door, that magnetic pull that's been driving me crazy for days.
When I open it, he's standing on the porch with a toolbox in one hand and a concerned expression on his face.
"The fence in the backyard is loose," he says without preamble."I noticed it a few days ago.Figured I should fix it before one of the kids gets hurt."
"I didn't ask you to?—"
"Uncle Hades!"Lily's voice cuts through my protest as she launches herself at his legs."You're here!I missed you so much!"
The pure joy on her face as he scoops her up makes something crack in my chest.This isn't just about me and what I want or don't want.These kids have lost so much already.Do I really have the right to keep them from someone who brings them happiness?
"I missed you too, princess," he says, pressing a kiss to the top of her head."I hear you drew me a picture?"
"Yes!It's on the fridge!Come see!"
She drags him toward the kitchen, chattering about colors and characters, and I have no choice but to follow.The other kids swarm around him like he's been gone for months instead of days, telling him about school and friends and all the small dramas of their lives.
And through it all, I can feel him watching me.Not obviously, not in a way the kids would notice, but I'm aware of every glance, every small movement in my direction.
"This is amazing, Lily," he says, studying her artwork with the seriousness it deserves."Is this you and me?"
"And Aunt Evie and everyone!We're all together in our house because we're a family now."
The simple declaration hits like a physical blow.In Lily's four-year-old mind, it's already settled.Hades isn't just Uncle Hades who visits sometimes.He's part of their family, part of their life, part of what makes them feel safe and loved.
