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My baby was dead.

My heart knew it even while my mind screamed that none of this should have been possible.

But he was there… in the house… with us.

And suddenly every strange thing that had happened since we moved in made more sense: the groceries, the money, Kaidence’s bedroom, the nights when I felt somebody beside me, and even that dream.

God, that dream.

I pressed trembling fingers against my lips. “You’ve really been here?”

Warmth brushed my cheek.

“Yeah, baby.”

I started crying harder, and that time it wasn’t only happiness; there was grief tangled inside it too, because hearing him didn’t erase what I had lost.

It didn’t give me back six years. It didn’t explain why he had been taken from me in the first place. But for the first time in six years, I wasn’t crying because I had no idea where Caspian was; I was crying because I knew why I hadn’t spoken to him in six years, even if I didn’t have all the details. And somehow, even with the pain of knowing he was dead, finally knowing allowed something inside me to unclench.

“Wear the dress, Lakelyn. Come find me at the party.”

I froze.

The party?

Willow’s Halloween party?

My heart started racing. “What?”

“I’ll be waiting, beautiful.”

I looked around the bedroom as though he might materialize if I searched hard enough. “Baby, please…”

“I love you.”

The words settled over me so warmly that I closed my eyes.

“I love you too.”

For a few moments, I simply stood there with tears running down my face. Eventually, the warmth against my cheek faded. His cologne lingered a little longer, but the room slowly became quiet again.

When I opened my eyes, the empty space beside me was still empty.

The dress remained on the bed.

The invitation was still on the floor.

The black rose petals were still scattered throughout the room.

None of it had disappeared.

I wiped my face before slowly picking up the dress and holding it against myself as I faced the mirror across the room.

Morticia Addams… just like we had planned.

I smiled through my tears. “Okay, baby. I’ll be there.”

After getting dressed in some PJ’s, I practically ran downstairs.