CHAPTER SEVEN
CLOSE PROXIMITY
ISABELLA
I avoided him. Not in a subtle, mature, “I’m in control of myself” way.
No.
I avoided him like a coward who had just realised she was standing too close to the edge of something she couldn’t survive falling into. The problem? The house was too big to feel small… and too small to actually hide in. And I didn’t like the way it felt.
———
Breakfast was my first mistake.
I woke up earlier than usual, determined to reclaim some sense of normalcy. Coffee. Fresh air. Maybe even a conversation with Camille that didn’t involve me internally screaming. Simple. Manageable. Safe. I should have known better.
The terrace was quiet when I stepped out, the morning sun spilling gold across the table. For a moment, I allowed myself to breathe, to settle into th
