Chapter 169 Motherly Instincts
The front door clicked shut behind Vael with a soft, final sound that seemed too loud in the quiet of the house. He stood in the entryway for a moment, letting the silence wash over him, his hand still resting on the cool brass of the doorknob.
In the living room, the TV was on; the low murmur of some late-night drama filled the space, punctuated by the burst of familiar laughter.
Vael's brow furrowed. He'd expected an empty house, the kind of hollow quiet that had become his companion for years.
"Mom?"
Susan's turned to look at him. "Oh, Vael! You're back."
She was curled into the corner of the sofa with her legs tucked beneath her, a throw blanket draped across her lap. Her reading glasses were perched on her nose, and she held a half-empty mug of tea in one hand, the television remote in the other.
Vael felt something in his chest loosen slightly even as confusion knit his features together. He walked further into the room.
