CHAPTER 111

ELENA

The bed was cold when I rolled over. And empty. So empty, so cold. My hand patted the mattress for a ridiculous amount of time looking for Aiden. It took a minute, but I finally woke up enough to realize he just wasn’t in bed with me.

I sat up and rubbed my eyes. Yawning, I rolled out of bed, grabbed my bag, and removed every inch of yesterday’s makeup from my face. I snag gedsome underwear, denim shorts, and a tank top from my bag, too, and get dressed. The house seemed quiet until I opened the bedroom door. A low murmur of voices traveled up the stairs, and I peeked into Conor’s open door to see if Chloe was inside. When I saw she wasn’t, I made my way down the curving stairs slowly.

“I can’t fuckin’ believe it,” Titus growled.

“Dollar!” Milka shouted.

“Milka, why don’t you go play in the playhouse, baby?” Chloe asked. “Ask Pops for a cookie.”

“Pops! Cookie!”

“Cookies and house? Okay, Milka,” Diana said. “Pops is still out. Nana give you cookies.”

A few moments of silence pass