Chapter 1

Christmas Day. My nineteen-year-old son, Leo, walked through the front door with his forty-year-old girlfriend, Vanessa. Before I could even say hello, he slapped an ultrasound photo onto the dining table.

It confirmed she was pregnant with twins.

My husband, Arthur, immediately looked away, completely dodging the bullet and leaving me to handle the mess.

I stared at the paper, trying to find my voice. "Leo, you’re only nineteen. Putting the massive age gap aside, you’re still in college. You can't support a family. Let's not rush into this. I'll pay for the clinic visit to get it taken care of."

Leo flared up instantly, shouting in my face. "You’re so old-fashioned, Mom! You don't know anything about real love!"

He even threatened to legally emancipate himself and cut all ties with me.

In the middle of the screaming match, my daughter, Chloe, who was supposed to be at work, walked in. She had been summoned home. She took one look at the situation and offered a smooth suggestion: "Why don't we rent them a nice place first? It’ll be easier for Vanessa to rest. Twins are a miracle. Dad, what do you think?"

Arthur just nodded like a mindless puppet. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever Chloe says."

Satisfied, Leo led Vanessa out of the house. Arthur and Chloe quickly followed them to help look for rental listings.

As they left, Arthur dropped his phone on the couch. I picked it up. The screen lit up with a notification from a Snapchat group chat named **【The Real Millers ❤️】**.

The last message read:

*Chloe: Dad, just keep your mouth shut when Mom complains. Leo and I will handle her.*

My blood ran cold.

What a beautiful, loving family.