Athena was so ensnared by the comforting embrace of sleep that the initial tugging at her ears barely registered.
But as the intermittent tugs grew more insistent—sharp taps on various parts of her body that blurred in the haze of slumber—she found herself reluctantly untangling from the hypnotic pull of sleep.
"Who's there?" She murmured groggily, her right hand groping around the space as her eyes remained clasped shut.
A familiar sound broke through the fog, a whisper that sent a spark of recognition to her mind.
"Mom!"
That must surely be Kate, she thought, furrowing her brow in confusion. It couldn't be five p.m yet, the time for the Christmas play. So what's going on?
Suddenly alert, her eyes flew open at the thought, only to narrow in disbelief when she spotted her children, along with Gianna, sporting gleeful, sheepish grins.
"What the hell is goi—"
"Merry Christmas, Mom!"
"Merry Christmas, Athena!"
