She Called It “Gold Rice” So the Boys Would Feel Safe. When the Man of the House Came Home Early, Everything Changed.
Elena stood quickly, placing herself in front of the boys as if her body alone could shield them. Her hands trembled, but she didn’t step aside.
“They’re not strangers,” she said quietly.
Alejandro’s shock hardened into something sharper.
“Whose children are they?” he demanded.
She hesitated. Then tried a weak explanation. “They’re family. Distant family.”
His gaze dropped to the boys’ clothing. One shirt carried a pattern he recognized instantly.
Clothes he had thrown away years earlier.
“Why are they wearing my things?” he asked.
He stepped closer, reaching toward the nearest child.
