He's Home

Valerie’s POV

The heavy bedroom door slammed shut with a deafening crack, vibrating the hardwood floor beneath my feet. Gideon was gone. The exact moment the latch clicked into place, leaving me alone in the suffocating silence of the room, tears broke free. They streamed down my face like a torrential river, hot and unrelenting. I pressed both hands over my mouth, desperately trying to muffle th