After the visit to the Kingston estate, something between Elena and Adrian changed permanently.
Not openly.
Not verbally.
But quietly.
Deeply.
Like two people who had finally seen the wounds hidden beneath each other’s skin.
The mansion felt different afterward.
Softer somehow.
The silences between them no longer felt cold.
They felt aware.
Dangerously aware.
And that terrified Elena more than anything else.
Because the more she understood Adrian…
The harder it became to protect her own heart.
—
Three days later, Elena stood inside her design studio staring at unfinished sketches spread across the table.
For the first time in weeks, she was trying to work again.
Trying to feel like herself again.
Large windows flooded the room with sunlight while soft instrumental music p
