63. He Loves You

Valerie sat on the edge of her bed, her phone clutched in her hand as she stared at the screen.

River's cold reply had caught her off guard. She remembered him as the doting father to Tiffany and Lucas, but this version of River? She didn't recognize it.

She sighed, tossing the phone onto the bed beside her. She had tried to understand River's obsession with revenge, but it was becoming harder to ignore how distant he had become.

Lucas's birthday was tomorrow, and she wanted River to be there for him. He was his father, for gosh sake!

But deep down, she knew it was unlikely. River was too consumed by his own darkness to see what he was missing out on. Valerie felt a pang of disappointment, followed by a wave of sadness.

Valerie stood up and walked over to the window, looking out at the backyard where Lucas was playing with Tiffany, who had just arrived from the boarding school.

Their laughter didn't improve Valerie's mood. She knew how much the kids missed their father, especially Ti