I couldn’t stop watching her.
Every movement Tessa made inside the house felt louder now. Louder than footsteps. Louder than doors closing. Louder than Lucien’s silence.
She didn’t rush anymore.
She walked like she owned time.
Servants waited for her nod before moving. She checked schedules. Approved menus. Corrected staff gently, always gently, like she had never done anything but belong here.
And me?
I moved like a visitor.
A quiet one.
A temporary one.
I sat in the breakfast room that used to feel like mine and watched her pour Lucien coffee. She knew exactly how much milk he wanted. Exactly when he preferred silence. Exactly when he expected conversation.
I used to know those things.
Now I was learning them from the outside.
Lucien barely looked at me. His eyes moved past m
