The silence in the living room lingered long after the children's laughter had faded behind the closed door of the spare room. The sound was faint now, muffled and distant, as though it belonged to a different world entirely, one untouched by the suffocating tension that hung heavy in the air. The adults remained where they were, scattered across the spacious room, but not one of them seemed truly at ease. The earlier revelation still pressed against their chests, the words echoing like thunder they hadn't yet processed.
It was Claudio who shattered the quiet, his voice sharp with incredulity. "So you and Katherine live together?"
The words fell like a stone in still water, sending ripples through everyone present. Katherine stiffened immediately, her fingers tightening subtly around the hem of her blouse. Felix, seated at a slight angle on the armrest of a chair, lifted a brow but said nothing. Leonard's eyes narrowed, his jaw tightening as though bracing for an incoming blow.
