Selena.
Dinner was announced just after sunset.
I had hoped the day would end quietly, that I could retreat to my room and gather myself after seeing Silas earlier, but that hope dissolved the moment a servant informed me that the family would be dining together in the private chamber.
Family.
The word felt heavier tonight.
When I entered the chamber, the long wooden table was already set. Candles burned low and steady, casting warm light across polished silver and crystal glasses. Denver’s mother sat at the head of the table, dignified and composed, her presence alone enough to command order.
Silas was seated to her right.
His new girl sat beside him, her posture elegant, her hands folded neatly in her lap as if she had rehearsed how to belong. She wore a soft smile, but her eyes m
