POV: Lydia
The rumors start before breakfast.
They arrive quietly at first. A headline buried beneath market reports. A commentator smiling too politely while suggesting concern.
Is Mrs. Cole being isolated?
Sources claim increased security restrictions around Lydia Cole.
Is Adrian Cole protecting his wife… or controlling her?
I read the articles without reacting.
That surprises me.
A month ago, I would have felt exposed and humiliated and defined by other people’s narratives.
Now I only feel irritated.
Because they’re wrong.
Not entirely wrong. But wrong enough to matter.
Across the kitchen, Adrian stands near the window scrolling through his tablet. His expression is unreadable, but I notice the stillness in him. The way he absorbs information rather than reacts to it.
He al
