The home had four bedrooms, a spacious kitchen, and a backyard with enough room for the children to play.
Marcus converted the upstairs study into Caleb's bedroom. Mia took the guest room. Jordan kept the bedroom he'd slept in since he was a toddler.
His walls were covered with dinosaur posters.
A shelf held his school trophies.
And on the nightstand stood a framed photograph of Grace.
Vanessa noticed the picture during the first week.
"Do you think he needs that beside his bed?"
Marcus looked surprised.
"Of course."
She smiled.
"I just wondered whether it makes moving forward harder for him."
Marcus shook his head.
"Remembering his mother isn't something he needs to move past."
For a moment, Vanessa's expression tightened.
Then she smiled again.
"You're right. I wasn't thinking."
Marcus kissed her forehead.
He believed it was a small misunderstanding.
He didn't recognize it as the beginning of something far more troubling.
During the first six months of marriage, the household worked reasonably well.
Caleb and Jordan played video games together.
Mia followed them around the backyard.
And Vanessa organized family movie nights every Friday.
Marcus felt grateful.
Sometimes he stood in the kitchen watching the children argue cheerfully over pizza toppings, amazed that his home could feel busy and happy again.
But the children noticed things he didn't.
Vanessa's voice changed when Marcus left the house.
Not immediately.
Not enough to make the difference obvious.
But gradually.
She was affectionate when he watched.
She praised Jordan's schoolwork.
Asked whether he needed a snack.
And spoke warmly about how lucky they were to become a family.
When Marcus drove away, the rules became different.
At first, the differences seemed small.
Jordan wasn't allowed to choose what television program they watched.
Caleb and Mia could have friends over, but Jordan was told to spend more time doing chores.
If the three children argued, Vanessa almost always decided Jordan was responsible.
Sometimes he was.
Children disagreed.
They took toys without asking and interrupted one another.
But Jordan began noticing that the same behavior carried different consequences depending on which child did it.
When Caleb forgot to put his shoes away, Vanessa reminded him.
When Jordan forgot, she made him clean the entire hallway.