CHAPTER 11

There were little things Juno did that made lying seem impossible. Like the way she leaned into Ethan’s side like the most natural daughter thing to do, or how she blinked up at him like he held her world in place. It wasn’t rehearsed. It wasn’t even logical. It just was. And that truth pressed into him more each day. He hadn’t said it out loud yet, not to Pearl, not even to himself, but the realization was becoming a quiet ache in his chest. A four-year-old couldn’t fake that kind of familiarity. Not with someone she’d only just met. “She’s… comfortable around you,” Pearl admitted one evening as they cleared out dishes from the table, her voice barely above the low hum of the sink. He glanced down at her hands, delicate fingers scrubbing a stubborn plate like it had offended her personally. “Kids are intuitive.” “Too intuitive,” she murmured. He didn’t say it then, but he thought about it long after the kitchen lights had dimmed. It was during one of those quiet nights, when Jun