Catherine had expected Lucius to stay, or at least, she had hoped he would. She hadn’t said it out loud, hadn’t asked, but after everything, she didn’t want to wake up alone again. And for once, he didn’t leave.
He never mentioned how long he was staying. He didn’t make some grand declaration that he would remain by her side for a few days. He was just there.
She noticed it in small things. The way he was still in bed when she woke up, the way she found him already sitting at the breakfast table like it was routine. He had started lingering in the evening, watching her work, casually flipping through her notes while sipping a glass of whiskey. There was an ease to his presence now, like he had no plans to go anywhere anytime soon.
Catherine didn’t ask how long it would last. She didn’t
