Chapter 36: The Distance Between Us
The manor felt different the next morning, quieter in a way that had nothing to do with sound. No argument had happened. No shouting had echoed through the halls. Just silence, settling over everything like a fine layer of dust.
Adrian met me in the dining room, dressed and composed, exactly the man I'd first encountered weeks ago at the altar, polite and utterly unreachable.
"Good morning, Amelia," he said.
Not are you alright. Not did you sleep well. Just those three words, correct and distant, and somehow they hurt far more than anger would have.
"Good morning," I said, and sat down across from him, the space between us feeling wider than the actual table.
Mrs. Brooks noticed immediately. She always poured my tea without being asked, some quiet
