Vivienne's POV
The kitchen was completely still.
The document sat in front of Charles on the table. My mother sat across from him with her hands flat on the surface and her eyes on his face. I sat at the end between them and held my breath without deciding to.
Charles looked down at the document.
He read it.
Not quickly. Not the skim of someone going through the motions of engagement before doing what they had already decided to do. He read it properly. Page by page. His eyes moving across each line with the focused attention of someone who understood what they were reading and was giving it the weight it deserved.
The kitchen was quiet while he read.
My mother didn't move.
I didn't move.
The lamp over the counter made its small warm light. Outside a car went past and the sound of
