Sadie’s POV
Sunday. My day off. No classes, no lectures, no university corridors full of sideways glances. Just me, Lily, and the cottage.
I was scrubbing the kitchen floor when the knock came.
Two raps. Deliberate. Controlled.
I knew who it was before I opened the door. I had started recognizing the rhythm of his knocks the way Lily recognized heartbeats.
Taylor stood on the porch, holding a paper bag from the bakery on Main Street. He was in jeans and a dark sweater, no coat despite the chill, and he looked less like a CEO than I had ever seen him – almost domestic, almost normal, if you could ignore the fact that his eyes were that particular shade of gold that human eyes shouldn't be.
"I brought croissants," he said.
"I didn't ask for croissants."
"No. But Lily likes them. She
