The Kiss that Sparked it All

Chapter 1885

After ensuring her friend Marlinie was snug under the covers, Bertha moved to the other bed to check on her daughter, Lea,

At that moment, Lea was deep in sleep, her brow furrowed in dream-induced concentration…

Bertha gently smoothed out the wrinkles on Lea’s forehead and slipped under the covers next to her, closing her eyes in an attempt to find her own sleep. Despite her earlier assurances, to Marlinie, words woven with solace and strength, Bertha found herself besieged by her own tempest of thoughts. Her concerns were tethered to her husband, Thaddeus, whose well-being in the police station was a question mark in her mind.

He was notoriously hard to please and his temper was as unpredictable as a spring storm. She dreaded the thought of him causing trouble for the officers.

Tossed by restless thoughts, Bertha sat upright and glanced at the clock. Dawn had broken; she decided to freshen up and fetch some breakfast for Marlinie and Lea.

her shoes and jacket, she approached the door, only to be greeted

“Ellinor, what brings

was not by herself. She was cradling

a nightmare and couldn’t get back to sleep, so she decided to take her for a walk to distract him

here; sleep evaded me, so I thought to visit my mother. ”

the sight of Baber, “What befell him? Poor boy!”

from further worries, so she conjured an innocent explanation, “Just a minor tumble. Bertha, is my mom still asleep?” Bertha glanced back at the sleeping Marlinie and hushed Ellinor with a finger to her lips, ”

mother at peace, and accepted Bertha’s offer with a simple, “Okay.”

behind them, they stepped into

jacket over Baber to protect him from

mother has only just found sleep. Has she been struggling