~CAKE~
By the time we arrived, the place felt… unreal.
The suite Nico arranged sat tucked into the estate like it had grown there naturally, as if it belonged to the land and not to money. Wide glass panels. Pale stone floors. Soft lights that didn’t demand attention but still somehow made everything glow.
My mother stopped just inside the doorway, pretending she’s fine.
I know she isn’t, because she keeps adjusting things that don’t need adjusting. The sleeve of her blouse. The strap of her handbag. The same curl near her ear she’s already fixed three times.
Rosa Coogan does not fidget unless something matters too much.
“You don’t have to come in if you don’t want to,” I tell her gently as we stand inside the suite.
She gives me a look. “And miss my daughter’s wedding preparations
