Lena’s POV
The silence in the library felt heavier now, charged with the static of a secret that was no longer just ours. My hands were still shaking as I smoothed my dress, trying to erase the evidence of the last twenty minutes. Every motion felt sluggish, like I was moving through deep, impenetrable water.
Richard was leaning against the mahogany desk, his arms crossed over his chest, watching me with a maddening, relaxed arrogance. He didn't look like a man who had just been inches away from his son finding him with his girlfriend. He looked like he was savoring the memory.
“Stop,” I whispered, my voice cracking as I fumbled with my hair, trying to pin it back into some semblance of order. “We almost lost everything. Julian knows.”
Richard only chuckled, a low, smooth sound that v
