Thaddeus pushed the door to his room open gently. The soft creak barely echoed, but it was enough.
Kayden stood by the window, arms crossed, his silhouette framed against the fading orange of the evening sky. He didn't turn around, but Thaddeus could feel it, the way the air shifted, the quiet tension. He was waiting.
Thaddeus walked over slowly and wrapped his arms around him from behind.
"Daddy, what took you so long?" Kayden murmured, leaning slightly into the warmth.
"I was inviting Rassel to join us tonight," Thaddeus said casually.
Kayden stiffened.
"She's back?" he asked quickly, turning around wide-eyed.
"Yeah," Thaddeus nodded. "She came in not long ago."
Kayden instantly pulled away and hurried across the room, already reaching for his cloth.
"Since when is she back?" His voice cracked slightly as he threw a shirt onto the bed, hands moving in panic.
Thaddeus watched him, his heart tugged with guilt. He couldn't lie anymore.
"She knows already," he said quietly.
