The house was quieter than usual when Isabelle returned from dropping the twins off at school. No laughter. No footsteps racing down the halls. Just the distant hum of the city beyond the mansion’s towering windows.
But the silence wasn’t peaceful.
It was tense.
And Isabelle knew exactly why.
She barely made it into the kitchen before she heard footsteps behind her—steady, deliberate.
Sebastian.
She was surprised to see him at him. She half expected him to be at work to avoid any confrontations.
A weight settled in her chest, but she kept her back turned as she set her keys on the counter and reached for a coffee mug. The air between them was charged, thick with the words they hadn’t said the night before.
He didn’t speak right away. Just stood there, waiting. Watching.
She wasn
