SCARLETT
I didn't see Simon for two days. He left before sunrise and came back after midnight, and ate dinner in his study. If mom noticed, she didn't say anything because she was too busy planning Monaco.
Two days of silence and pretending like my skin wasn't still burning where his hands had been. But it didn't work. I kept my voice flat, kept my dress past my knees for the first time since we moved in.
“You've been quiet,” mom said on the third night, pushing salad around her plate. “Everything okay, honey?”
“Fine,” I said too fast. “Just tired.”
Simon didn't look up from his wine but I felt it anyway. That weight, that stare, like he was counting every lie I told.
After dinner I went straight upstairs, locked my door and told myself it was enough.
At 1:14 AM there was a knock, t
