The scent of freshly brewed coffee filled Isabelle’s kitchen, rich and comforting, but no warmth from it could thaw the frost thickening in the air. The morning light, pale and cold, streamed through the windows, casting long shadows that seemed to stretch with the tension brewing inside the room.
Sophia’s voice sliced through the silence, sharp and taut with disbelief. Her arms folded tightly across her chest, her eyes blazing.
“Tell me I heard you wrong.”
From across the island, Isabelle’s fingers clutched her ceramic mug, her knuckles pale against the soft porcelain.
“You didn’t.”
The words landed, solid and unshakable, and with them, the first c***k of the fault line between them.
Sophia’s voice pitched higher, incredulous and tight. “You’re moving in with him?” She shook her hea
