Derek lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, the silence of the night pressing down on him like a weight. Beside him, Annabelle was fast asleep, her breathing soft and steady. But Derek couldn’t find the same peace. His mind raced, replaying the past few days over and over. Things had been so good between them—laughing, sharing secrets, planning their future. But now, something had shifted. Annabelle had become distant, her smiles forced, her words careful, as if she were hiding something. The change was subtle, but to Derek, it felt like a chasm opening between them.
He slipped out of bed, careful not to wake her, and padded across the room, the cool marble floor beneath his feet. The mansion was quiet, the kind of quiet that made his thoughts louder. He wandered through the dimly lit halls
