Chapter 0583

Julian immediately took another step backwards, adding more space between him and me. We both nervously glanced at Nicholas who mostly seemed confused by his own reaction. He cut off his growl with a sharp grunt.

"Sorry," he said.

"Don't worry," I replied.

"It's my fault," Julian said.

"No," Nicholas quickly corrected. "I don't know what came over me."

"I knew this game was a bad idea," Bridget says, rising from the couch. "I tried to warn everyone, but no one takes me seriously."

I distinctly remembered Bridget championing the idea for charades so much that she took to mostly organizing it herself. Now, suddenly, when something had gone wrong, she didn't want anything to do with the idea?

"We should definitely stop," Bridget continued, "I, for one, am out totally." She looked around at everyone, expecting them to agree.

Maybe she wasn't wrong in this instance. The joyful mood I had been attempting to cultivate seemed utterly at waste now, with only thick tension in the air.

Jessica worried her bottom lip. Veronica looked down at her lap. Julian apologized. Nicholas said, "I'm the one at fault."

Everything really did seem like it was falling apart.

Then Elva raised her head, looking up from her coloring books. She spotted the empty spot between Nicholas and Jessica on the couch.

"Can I be on Nick-lass's team?" she asked.

And just like that, the entire mood shifted. The tension broke and everything brightened. Jessica laughed. Veronica's lips twitched in an almost smile. Julian smiled outright. So did Nicholas.

"Of course you can," Nicholas said. He glanced at me. "If it's okay with your mom."

Elva turned her doe eyes on me. It would have been fine with me anyway, but having her look at me like that would have melted even my coldest moods.

her, and she cheered.

minute," Bridget said. She placed her hands on her hips. "This unbalances the teams."

"My team' she says," Julian scoffed. "Didn't you just tell everyone that you are quitting the game?" "Yes,

take

we were quitting the

a child," Julian told her. "Just

looking at her that way. Elva was innocent in all this. If Bridget wanted to be mad at someone, let her be

me.

was the moment she forfeited any right to

a long time. It was past time that I believed what I

turned at stormed off towards

she was gone, the fun began

her word. I decided to stay with her, while Julian returned to his seat beside Veronica. Neither of them seemed to care that I was technically

think, was rooting for

out a slip of paper with a word and looked at it. Then she

to act out. But Elva seemed confident about what she had to do. She had an

place in front of her team. I stood nearby, ready

"Timer!" she called.

counted down from three, then

me and hugged me. Tears welled in my eyes at once, but I blinked them back. I dropped down to

Jessica called. "Daughter?

neck, then she let me go. Turning, she rushed

time to catch

"Family," Nicholas said.

her head

Nicholas considered.

asked, slightly taken

seemed to click within Nicholas. An understanding flashed behind

"Home," he said.

hammered in my chest. How had he

leaned back. "You got

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