Sophia's POV
We stayed at the coast for four days.
Not planned. Just extended, morning by morning, because neither of us found a good enough reason to leave and the estate, for once, didn't need us urgently enough to call us back.
Damien checked his phone twice a day instead of every twenty minutes. That alone felt like proof something had shifted.
On the third morning we walked further than usual, past the town, along a stretch of coast where the houses thinned out and the path became rougher and the water louder. He held my hand the whole way and didn't let go even when the path narrowed enough that walking side by side became difficult.
We found a bench overlooking the water and sat there for a long time saying very little.
"I keep thinking about the foundation," I said eventually
