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I nodded.

Sure the fuck did.

Willow continued. “Now another nigga comes into his house, gets chased down the hallway by a flying man, leaves without pants, and somehow his luggage gets evicted too? And what about Chalis’s car? Who’s to say he wasn’t responsible for that?” Willow folded her arms. “Now, you can sit around here and act like some random ghost moved into this mansion with Caspian’s exact temper, jealousy issues, and habit of making unwanted guests feel real uncomfortable, but this is the most Caspian Black shit I have ever seen in my mothafuckin’ life.”

I laughed again.

That’s right, sister-in-law. Tell her.

Lakelyn’s smile slowly faded, and just like that, the humor quickly drained out of her face.

She wrapped her arms around her body, as her eyes lowered toward the driveway. I could see the exact moment Willow’s words stopped being funny and turned into something heavier.

When Lakelyn finally spoke, her voice was quieter. “Willow, at this point, I don’t know what to believe. But just say I did believe Yonas… just say for one second that he really saw Caspian standing in that hallway, floating, disappearing, and doing all that ghostly shit he mentioned…” She paused, and I watched her struggle to force out the rest. “That would mean… Caspian’s dead.”

The words hit me differently coming from her.

Lakelyn’s eyes immediately glossed over, and she looked away like even allowing herself to say it out loud had been too much.

Six years of not knowing had apparently been easier than giving the worst possibility a name.

Willow’s entire expression softened. “Oh, shit. I didn’t even take the time to think about that. Sis, I didn’t mean to joke about—”

Lakelyn held up a hand, not rudely, but with the exhausted expression of somebody who simply didn’t have enough left in her to unpack one more emotion that night.

“I know you didn’t.” She exhaled and rubbed a hand over her forehead. “Right now, I need some sleep. I also need to go check on Granny and Kaidence to make sure they’re good, because how the hell did either one of them sleep through all that noise?”

Willow nodded. “Your guess is as good as mine. I’ll check on Granny.”

She turned toward the house and made it a few steps before suddenly stopping.

Lakelyn closed her eyes before Willow even turned back around, already knowing she wasn’t finished.

“But, sis…”

“Yes, Willow?”

“We’re checking the basement tomorrow… and the damn walls too!”

Despite everything, the corner of Lakelyn’s mouth twitched.

“And the attic!” Willow added. “And if we find Caspian sitting behind some drywall eating a bag of chips, I’m cussing both of y’all the fuck out!”

I shook my head because that girl was something else.

Lakelyn burst out laughing again. “Girl, go check on Granny!”

“Going. Goodnight, sis.”

“Goodnight, silly.”

Lakelyn laughed while Willow finally disappeared inside. She stayed on the porch for another moment, staring toward the empty driveway before her attention slowly moved back to the mansion and then up toward our bedroom window.

I could tell she was thinking, trying to make sense of everything she had just witnessed.

I stood only a few feet away from her.

Your man just took out the fucking trash, baby.