She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, pretending nothing was wrong. "Weren't you supposed to come home later? What are you doing back today?"

Amelia didn't seem to realize how stuffed up her voice sounded. Anyone could tell she'd been crying, even if she tried to play it cool.

Andrew slipped his hand into his pocket and walked just behind her. "I came back to see Dennis."

He said it flatly, as if Dennis wasn't even his own kid.

Amelia stopped in her tracks, already guessing what this was about. "So... you heard what happened?"

Andrew just made a quiet sound of agreement.

There was no way anyone could hide something as serious as Dennis's suicide attempt from him. The family had only remembered to tell Andrew after Kevin and Dennis woke up that morning.

As soon as Andrew found out, he dropped everything, booked the first flight, and rushed home. He hadn't even bothered with luggage.

He didn't waste time. “What happened while I was gone? How did things get so bad Dennis tried to kill himself?"

Amelia's face went stiff. Her palms still ached, and even when she let them fall at her sides, her hands kept trembling.

Kevin already knew she'd pushed Dennis toward what he did. There was no way she could hide from Andrew, not with his reputation. People always said Kevin was ruthless when he was young, but that Andrew was even colder and more calculating. It wasn't just a rumor.

If Kevin freaked out when he found out, Andrew could only be worse.

Amelia's heart raced. "Dennis... Dennis just..."

She tried to cover it up anyway. She forced herself to look up. "He just missed Isabella, that's all. But you don't have to worry. He's okay now. He's already out of

the hospital, and honestly, he seems happy."

Andrew glanced at her shaking hands. "Really?"

Amelia nodded, her voice barely steady. "Really."

Andrew didn't say anything else and followed her inside.

Right as they came in, they saw Kevin and Dennis at the dining table. Dennis was buzzing with

f

excitement. The second he saw them, his eyes sparkled, but when he realized who was behind Amelia

face broke into a huge smile. He jumped down from his chair,

slippers slapping the floor as he ran past Amelia and straight into Andrew's arms.

"Dad, you're home!"

For a second, Andrew's usually cool face softened with a hint of a smile. He bent down and scooped Dennis up. "You're eating dinner?"

Dennis nodded hard, wrapping his arms around Andrew's neck. "Yeah! Dad, you're finally back! I missed you so much!"

Andrew gave him a gentle pat on the back. "I missed you too. Go finish your food."

But Dennis just hugged him tighter. "Eat with us, Dad."

Then Dennis suddenly stared at Andrew's cheek, pointing at a faint bruise. “Dad, did someone hit you? Who was it?"

Amelia finally looked up. She'd kept

her head down until now, avoiding her head down Underw,

Andrew

face. Under the bright

living room lights, she could see two

clear bruises on his face.

She was confused. Those were definitely from a fight. Who in the city would dare to hit Andrew Lane?

Andrew's face didn't change as he answered. “No, I just bumped into something.”

That only made Amelia more suspicious. Who would Andrew cover for?

Dennis frowned, poking at the bruise. "Does it hurt?"

Andrew shook his head. "It doesn't."

Dennis looked up at him, serious. "Don't lie to me, Dad. If someone really hit you,

you have to tell me. I'll get revenge for you."

Andrew let out a quiet laugh. “Alright. Now go finish eating."

Dennis nodded enthusiastically and hurried back to the table.

Kevin, who had already known Andrew was coming home, didn't look surprised. He looked up from, his seat and called out, "Have you eaten yet? If not, I'll have someone set another place for you."