I walked into the dining room already braced for Victoria's sharp eyes to find me the second I stepped through the doorway, already rehearsing the careful, unbothered expression I'd need to wear through another meal under her watch.
But her chair sat empty.
Leonardo was already seated at the head of the table, a glass of wine in front of him, untouched, his gaze lifting toward me as I hesitated in the doorway. Something flickered across his face when he saw me, quick and gone before I could name it, and I felt the weight of the ivory dress suddenly, the way it moved when I walked, the way the light caught it.
"Good evening," I said, sliding into my usual seat, my eyes drifting instinctively toward the empty place setting across from m
