Everyone laughed again.
I thought the weekend would be ordinary.
I was wrong.
The following morning, Mom discovered that she’d forgotten half the groceries.
“Kevin, sweetheart, could you run into town? We need eggs, milk, coffee, and those fancy crackers Molly likes.”
“Of course.”
Kai barely looked up from his phone.
“Grab the spicy ones too. And maybe some of those little chocolates.”
I turned toward him.
“Anything else, Your Highness?”
“Yes. A helicopter.”
“Black or silver?”
“Surprise me.”
Molly laughed and handed me a shopping list.
“Ignore him. He’s emotionally dependent on snacks.”
“That makes two of us,” I said.
She kissed me before I left.
“Drive safely, honey.”
I drove into town feeling content.
That was the cruelest part of what happened next.
I wasn’t suspicious.
I wasn’t searching for clues.
I was a husband buying crackers for his wife and chocolate for his brother.
I returned earlier than expected because the deli counter was closed.
