Sonia’s POV
Morning light crept slowly through the curtains, golden but muted, as if even the sun hesitated to touch the weight of the house that day. I was awake long before dawn, restless, my thoughts turning endlessly over the past evening, the reappearance of Hayley, the way Alexander’s eyes had softened when he saw her, the quiet sting of his words: family friend.
The house was quiet. Too quiet.
I wrapped a shawl around my shoulders and slipped out into the hallway, intent on escaping to the kitchen for tea to calm my nerves. But halfway down the stairs, I froze.
Voices.
Low. Urgent. Carried in hushed tones from the sitting room below.
I leaned against the banister, breath caught in my throat.
“…you can’t deny what we had, Alexander,” Hayley’s voice murmured, smooth and deliber
