Chapter 69

Chapter 69

Klein had spent the entire night in restless anticipation, his mind racing with questions that had no answers. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong. The house was too quiet, too empty. The presence he longed for, the one that had filled the space with warmth and life, was missing. He knew he had to see her—to see Evangeline—and make sure everything was as it should be.

But when morning finally broke, it wasn’t Evangeline who descended the stairs. It was Lydia, moving with the same steady grace she always had, her expression calm, almost detached. Klein’s heart sank, replaced by a gnawing anxiety that he couldn’t quite place.

“Where are the babies?” he asked, the words spilling out before he could stop them. The urgency in his voice was evident, as if he had been holding onto the question all night, waiting for this exact moment to ask it.

Lydia paused, her hand hovering over the banister. “Babies? There are no babies, sir. Whatever do you mean?” H