“It’s not optional. And I’m going too.”
For the first time the twins realized their father was hurting too.
The next morning Sofia arrived exactly at seven.
At breakfast she encountered the twins’ first sabotage attempt—salt in the sugar jar, vinegar in the milk.
Sofia calmly drank her coffee without sugar and ignored the milk entirely.
The girls exchanged frustrated glances.
Later, Lucas drank the milk herself and instantly spat it out.
“It spoiled!” she cried.
“That’s strange,” Sofia said gently, sniffing the carton. “Milk usually doesn’t spoil overnight… unless someone adds vinegar.”
She looked at Lily knowingly.
Instead of scolding them, Sofia simply helped Lucas rinse her mouth.
“When I was eight,” she said quietly, “I once poured vinegar into milk to prank my sister. I accidentally drank it myself.”
Lucas looked surprised.
“Why did you do it?”
“Because I was angry. But I learned revenge usually hurts yourself most.”
Later Lily tried another tactic—placing their mother’s old doll around the house.
Sofia calmly moved it each time without reacting.
At lunch Lily hid behind the sofa and whispered Sofia’s name like a ghost.
“Iris,” Sofia said calmly, eyes closed, “if you want to talk, come here.”