His mother, quietly and fiercely, had always been the one building the wall around him.
Then she got pregnant.
The day they learned it would be triplets, the doctor stared at the ultrasound longer than usual.
Finally he cleared his throat.
“Triplets.”
Cade remembered the way his mother’s eyes widened. The way the color drained from her face. The way she instinctively looked toward her husband.
But James had already turned and was walking toward the door.
That was the first time he disappeared.
At first, the excuses were simple.
Late nights at work. Errands. “Things to handle.”
Then the absences grew longer.
Cade helped his mother keep the house together. She tried not to show it, but the idea of raising triplets terrified her.
She was happy. But she was scared too.
Then she got sick.
At first the doctors called it exhaustion.
Then they started using the word complications.
Eventually the doctor closed the door to the exam room and sat down before speaking.
Cade remembered feeling like the floor had dropped out from under him.
His mother just listened quietly, nodding.
As if she already knew.
Not long after that appointment, their father disappeared for good.
No argument.
No explanation.
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