ALEX POV
I tell her at dinner, not because it’s convenient, not because it’s kind. But because if I wait any longer, the truth will explode on its own, and when it does, it will be uglier than this. Laura Robinson sits at the long dining table like a queen holding court, posture perfect, expression unreadable. The house smells of rosemary chicken and expensive wine, the kind of setting meant for family unity, legacy, and polite lies.
I don’t lie, not tonight. “I cancelled the engagement,” I say, placing my cutlery down with deliberate calm. The words land softly, too softly.
Laura blinks once, then twice. The silence stretches, thick and suffocating, before she lets out a small, almost amused laugh. “That’s not funny, Alex.”
“I’m not joking.” Her smile fades slowly, like a curtain bein
