Chapter: 1674

On the second floor, Cliff remained by the railing, his eyes fixed on the front door as though willing her to walk back in.

Gerry broke the silence. "Cliff, are you really going to let her go like that?"

Cliff stormed into his bedroom and slammed the door, his thunderous command to "leave me alone" still echoing through the house.

Gerry slowly removed the lollipop from his mouth, shaking his head with a knowing grimace.

Madison stood rooted to the spot, her mind struggling to make sense of the chaos unfolding before her. The day's events had cascaded like dominoes. Before she could comprehend one incident, another crashed into her reality.