The shift in Adrian was subtle enough that Elena almost missed it — not a single dramatic moment, but an accumulation of small changes that only became visible in retrospect, the way a season changes without anyone quite noticing the exact day it happened.
He began seeking her out for reasons that had nothing to do with business or performance. A book he thought she'd like, left on her nightstand without comment — an architecture text, she noticed with a small ache, full of photographs of bridges from around the world. A standing invitation to join him in the study after dinner, an invitation that had quietly become a habit neither of them acknowledged out loud. The way his eyes found her first in any crowded room, before he remembered to arrange his expression into something more neutral
