Valeria gave Alice a kiss and Zuzu another before they went to rest. It had taken Amelia just under twenty-four hours to discharge her from the hospital, and she was finally in the quiet of her home, but she knew well what that meant.

She didn't bother going to her room, instead, she headed to the master bedroom, which she had shared with Nick before they took the vacation trip. She couldn't avoid him any longer and Andrew and the twins were no longer around to serve her as a protective barrier.

She lay down on the bed but was unable to fall asleep, and two hours later she was tossing and turning and pacing around the room as if she were being chased by a hundred spiders. She did not hear the soft sound of footsteps approaching the door, but turned around as soon as she heard that voice.

“You're going to dig a trench across the room, troublemaker,” Nick muttered, and Valeria saw him standing there. He looked like he had just come out of the bathroom, wearing pajama pants and drying