The next morning arrived wrapped in fog.
It curled around the estate like a living thing, clinging to windows and swallowing the long driveway whole. Lena noticed it first when she drew back the curtains—how the world beyond the glass seemed distant, muted, as though the house had decided to separate itself from everything else.
Alex was already awake.
She sensed him before she saw him, the same way she always did now. His presence had a gravity to it, subtle but undeniable. When she entered the kitchen, he stood at the counter, sleeves rolled up, hands braced against the marble as he stared into his coffee like it held answers he didn’t like.
“Good morning,” she said softly.
He looked up, eyes sharpening slightly before softening. “Morning.”
Noah appeared moments later, quieter than
