The Return Protocol Chapter 2

Lily’s outburst shocked everyone.

Florence grabbed her arm, her brow furrowed in anger. "Lily! What has gotten into you?"

But my daughter was inconsolable, her tears fueling a torrent of accusations. The commotion woke Sam, who started crying in the other room. Alex scooped him up, a look of pained helplessness on his face.

"Stop, everyone, please stop fighting. This is all my fault. I'll just leave, okay? I'll go!"

He made to walk out, but my father-in-law's voice boomed through the house.

"Everybody, quiet!"

He turned to Alex. "You're not going anywhere. You're staying in this room."

My breath caught in my throat. I looked at him, searching for some sign of the man I used to know.

He just frowned at me. "Liam, I'll have the entire third floor cleared out for you tomorrow. For tonight, you can sleep in the guest room." He sighed. "Let's just have some peace."

His words sent a jolt through me, reminding me of a conversation from before our wedding.

"Sir, this is the master bedroom, isn't it? Why are you and Mom giving it to us?"

Back then, he had looked at me with such warmth, his smile genuine.

"Liam, you're our son-in-law. Of course, we want you to have the best."

The memory was a shard of glass in my heart.

I turned away, swiping at my eyes, and walked toward the guest room without another word. My father-in-law started to say something, then stopped himself.

I was exhausted. I collapsed onto the guest bed, burying my face in the pillow, welcoming the darkness.

Suddenly, a warm, fragrant embrace enveloped me. Florence. She pressed a soft kiss to my cheek.

"Is my husband in a bad mood today?" she whispered, her voice a low murmur.

I opened my eyes and looked at her. She offered a small, hesitant smile.

"I need to wash up," I mumbled, pulling away.

Florence hugged me again, a quick, tight squeeze, before grabbing her phone and disappearing into the en-suite bathroom.

I expected her to be quick. A shower for her was usually a ten-minute affair.

But this time, the sound of running water was a constant drone. It was still going when I finally drifted off into a restless sleep.

I awoke later to the soft click of the bedroom door closing.

I blinked, my eyes adjusting to the dim light. Her phone, left on the pillow beside me, flickered to life.

A new message. From Alex.

“Waiting for you ;)”

My heart skipped a beat. My hand shot out, grabbing the phone. I swiped to unlock it, my thumb tracing the familiar pattern of my own birthday.

Password incorrect.

It had always been my birthday.

I tried again. And again. Not mine. Not hers. Not the kids'.

Then, a sickening thought occurred to me. The contact info for Alex. His name in her phone had a birthday next to it. With trembling fingers, I punched in the date.

Unlocked.

A wave of ice washed through my veins, chilling me to the bone.

I opened their chat history. For the entire hour Florence had been in the bathroom, she hadn't been showering.

She had been on a video call with Alex.

The phone slipped from my numb fingers.

I took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to calm the storm raging inside me. After a long moment, I got up and walked silently to the door of my old bedroom.