CHAPTER 33: Expectations and Echoes

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Chapter 33: Expectations and Echoes

Calvin's Mother — Lydia Klein

The dining table was set for four. White tulips stood in a glass vase at the center, and steam curled from bowls of rosemary chicken and soft garlic rice. Lydia Klein moved like clockwork—straightening forks, wiping a spot on a perfectly polished glass.

But her eyes kept darting to the wall clock.

"They're late," she said, barely disguising the edge in her voice.

Across from her, Samuel Klein—Calvin's father—looked up from his tablet. "Maybe they hit traffic."

Lydia frowned. "He would've called."

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Samuel

He watched his wife pace.

"You're not worried about dinner, Lydia. You're worried about the girl."

Lydia paused. "She didn't come, Sam. That's all I need to know."

Samuel sighed. "And maybe something came up."

She turned to him, arms crossed. "He's always been careful. Cautious. Now he skips dinner without warning—for a girl he barely knows?"

Samuel raised an eyebrow. "You mean the girl who helped him open up? The one who made him laugh again?"

That silenced her—for a moment.

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Lydia

She moved to the window, watching dusk settle on the lawn.

"I just don't want him getting lost in something that isn't real. We've worked hard to keep him focused. His future matters."

"Love matters too," Samuel said gently. "You knew that once."

Lydia's expression softened slightly, memories flickering behind her eyes. But still, she whispered, "Real love doesn't skip introductions."

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Calvin (unseen)

Outside, just arriving back in Nairobi, Calvin checked his phone.

12 missed calls. 4 messages from Mum.

He sighed, glancing over at Daisy, asleep against the car window.

Between the family he came from and the woman beside him, something was going to have to bend.

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