Callie's POV
The house felt different the moment they disappeared upstairs. Not quieter. Just tighter. Like the walls had drawn in on themselves, holding their breath.
I stood near the Christmas tree, my fingers curled loosely around a strand of fairy lights, watching the soft glow pulse against the ornaments we’d already hung the other day. Red. Gold. Silver. Everything was warm and festive and painfully normal.
Dominic hadn’t looked at me when Mara said she wanted to talk. He’d just nodded, jaw tight, and followed her up the stairs like it was something he owed her.
As if it were something I had caused. My chest pinched, sharp and sudden, and I swallowed hard, forcing myself to breathe normally.
Don’t overthink it, Callie. People talk. Couples talk. It doesn’t mean…
But the thoug
