Then circled back and hid.
He wanted truth. And truth, he believed, arrived when no one believed they were being watched.
When Masks Drop, Voices Change
The house, once filled with music and laughter, held a strange stillness as Vanessa entered the living room. No sweet voice. No playful tone. Only heels striking marble in a rhythm that sounded like warning.
The triplets sat where she’d instructed. Too obedient. Too quiet. Aaron’s jaw tight. Naomi clutching a stuffed rabbit. Elias blinking too quickly.