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Chapter 83

Author: ONYINYE
last update Last Updated: 2024-10-29 19:42:56

** The Ties That Bind**

The kitchen was unusually quiet the next morning, the usual bustle of breakfast preparation replaced by a heavy silence. Lillian sat at the table, slowly stirring her cup of coffee, her mind still reeling from the events of the previous day. The letter from Brighton, the unexpected visit from the private investigator, and the revelation about an uncle she never knew she had—it was all too much.

Claire was moving around the kitchen, but even she seemed distracted, her movements slower, more deliberate. Ethan had already gone outside to clear his head, his usual calm demeanor replaced with a tension that Lillian hadn’t seen in him since they escaped from Derrick’s men. They had survived so much, fought so hard to build a new life, and now it felt like the past was clawing its way back in.

Samuel came bounding into the kitchen, oblivious to the tension, and plopped down at the table with his cereal. “Morning!” he chirped, his voice cutting through the thick silenc
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