#Chapter 104 - A new leader

Layla Aldo had missed another dinner. Or, rather, he was in the process of missing it. I sat at the head of the long dining table, where he’d normally sit; for some reason it felt wrong to leave it vacant. Beside me, Eli pushed food around his plate with his fork, and on his other side, Vanessa leaned in to encourage him to eat. As she sat up, she offered me a small half-smile, like she was trying to keep the mood light. But the unspoken truth sat between us, heavy as an invisible elephant. Aldo wouldn’t be home. Again. And again, I tried to console myself with the knowledge that he was simply caught up in work. God knew I’d missed enough dinners in the throes of hospital drama. But somehow, this still felt … different. Maybe because he’d always made such an effort to be here—because he knew how important it was to me. To our family. Once, Aldo had been a constant presence, his hand resting on the small of my back, his deep voice filling the house with warmth and au