Chapter 35

STELLA I felt relieved when Aiden finally came out of the bathroom. I’d been worried because he’d been crying for so long after finding out that neither of his parents would be able to go with him on his school field trip tomorrow. He’d been excited about the trip all week, so I understood how disappointed he must have been when his mom told him she couldn’t make it. “You’re going with me tomorrow?” he asked, looking up at me. I wiped the tears from his face. “Yes, Grandma will go with you tomorrow. So, no more crying, okay?” He nodded slowly and stopped crying. “Where’s my mac and cheese?” I smiled and ruffled his hair. “It’s in the kitchen. Let’s go downstairs so you can eat. They also made chicken wings for you.” “Are you okay now, buddy?” Henry asked. Aiden nodded and smiled a little, though his eyes were still swollen from crying. “I’ll leave you with your grandma. I’m just heading to the study,” Henry said, kissing both of us on the forehead before walking off. I watched Aiden ea