SOFIA
I didn’t go looking for him. Not this time. That would have made it too obvious, but I didn’t avoid him either. The house had settled back into its tightened, alert pattern where movement was measured and conversations were clipped, all operating within the reinforced structure established after the incident. Underneath it all sat a heavy, quiet awareness.
I found him in the east wing. He was standing by the window instead of his desk, looking out over the grounds without any documents or visible tasks to occupy him. I stepped into the room without a word. He didn’t turn, though I knew the second I crossed the threshold, he had already accounted for my presence.
“You’re not working,” I said, my voice cutting through the stillness.
“I am,” he replied, his gaze remaining fixed on t
