Tonia's POV
The silence in the house felt suffocating. Days had passed since the DNA samples were collected, and Kermit had vanished without a trace. The twins wandered around like lost puppies, their usual laughter replaced by worried whispers.
I watched them from the kitchen doorway, my heart breaking with each passing hour. This was exactly what I had dreaded most about revealing the truth. The fallout wasn't just affecting Kermit and me anymore.
"Aunty Tonia, when is daddy coming back?" Rosalyn's small voice cut through the afternoon quiet as she looked up from her coloring book.
The question hit me like a physical blow. I struggled to find words that wouldn't add to the child's distress.
"He won't answer when we call him," Rosalyn continued, her lower lip trembling. "We made him drawings, but he's not here to see them."
Bruce nodded vigorously beside his sister, his eyes wide with concern that no young child should have to carry.
