Finally, crawling back to the bedroom, he stood long enough to scour the room for a liquor bottle. Something, anything, as long as it was mind-numbing.

He needed another swig, so he would either die in his sleep or, if not that lucky, be able to forget whatever dream would torture him while he slept.

***

“Mommy.” Kelly stomped in, followed closely by Jessica, who stomped just like her older sister. “Jess is copying me. She won’t leave me alone. Tell her to go away.”

Jessica stomped her foot exactly like Kelly had. “Jess is copying me. She won’t leave me alone. Tell her to—”

“Girls, find Grandma. Tell her that you need something to do.” If sibling antagonism was a sign of normalcy, Sarah’s kids were going to be just fine. They’d survived an abduction and moved in with her mother, leaving her husband… who knew where her husband was. He hadn’t come home, and she’d needed to get out of their house. Everywhere she looked was a memory of a life she didn’t want anymore. She wasn’t staying under that roof, married to a man she didn’t really know. The decision was far from rational, but she’d pulled stakes and left him a note.

I never asked questions about what you did at work because I trusted you. I don’t know you, and I don’t know how you live with yourself.

It’d been harsh. She’d been emotional. And if she had to do it over again, she would have said something along the lines of I can’t wrap my head around Titan, and how people you work with might want to harm us. I was in shock. Still am. You promised that whatever you did at work, we’d be safe at home, and I feel betrayed, confused, and vulnerable. This isn’t just about me; I have to keep our children safe.

It wouldn’t have mattered what she wrote, he hadn’t been there after she’d survived a shootout. He hadn’t come home to check on her, hadn’t called about the kids. Sarah had known that he ran off to save the world while working with Titan. That he did things that were questionable, but he promised it was for the greater good.

So many questions. So many overwhelming emotions. And none of it was worth sticking around for if his livelihood endangered their children.

Kelly and Jessica ignored her suggestion to find Grandma and took turns mimicking each other. Maybe it was their age. At eight and six, Kelly and Jessica were like Teflon. Nothing seemed to stick, at least on the surface, though Sarah was sure she should start squirreling away money for therapy. No family walked out on a dad and remained unscathed.

It was only a matter of time before their invisible wounds surfaced.