The ride back to Simon’s house was quiet in the way storms are quiet before they strike. Olivia leaned against the cool leather seat, hands trembling faintly in her lap. She still felt the sting of Helena’s slap along her cheek, a hot bloom beneath the skin, a reminder of everything she was leaving behind.
Simon did not look at her, but his presence filled the car like iron. Controlled. Unyielding. He was a man who never needed to raise his voice because the world already understood what happened when he did.
When they arrived at the house, he stepped out first, opening the door for her without a word. Olivia followed him inside, the lights warming the living room in muted gold. Nana Linda peeked from the kitchen, startled by the hour, startled even more by Olivia’s swollen cheek, but sh
