Part Two: When Fate Knocks Again
Chapter 31
A Fragile Beginning
Three weeks passed.
For the first time in nearly a year, Ashford Estate felt... peaceful.
Not perfect.
Peaceful.
The mornings began with breakfast together—not because anyone insisted, but because Kael quietly made it a habit. Sometimes he cooked. Sometimes he failed spectacularly and the kitchen staff had to rescue him.
I laughed more often than I expected.
And every time I laughed, Kael's eyes softened as though he had been given a priceless gift.
He never mentioned it.
He simply noticed.
That had become his greatest change.
He noticed.
...
One chilly morning, I walked through the gardens carrying a basket of herbs for the estate healer.
Birds chirped softly in the trees.
The roses, despite winter's grip, ha
