Thursday morning.
The day Marcus Webb would arrive in the city.
The day before everything fell apart.
Asher woke with his stomach in knots, barely able to keep down breakfast while the twins chattered excitedly about their day.
"Fer-daddy, you're not eating," Lily observed, her little face scrunched with worry.
"Just not very hungry, sweetheart."
"But you always say breakfast is the most important meal!" Kai protested. "You have to eat or you'll get sick."
Asher forced down a few bites of toast to appease them, though it tasted like cardboard in his mouth.
Three days until Marcus saw him.
Seventy-two hours until his world potentially exploded.
"Are you still having the bad dreams?" Lily asked softly, climbing into his lap despite being fully dressed for school.
"Sometimes."
"We could sleep in your bed again tonight. To chase away the bad dreams."
Asher's heart clenched. His babies, trying so hard to protect him when they didn't even understand what was wrong.
