Celestine's POV
I find my mother in the sitting room, tea cup in hand, papers arranged in a neat stack beside her. She doesn’t look up when I enter.
“Something happened tonight at the gala,” I say, closing the door behind me.
“I assumed you weren’t here for pleasantries,” she replies.
I take a breath, trying to steady myself. “Kaelen and I had… an argument.”
That earns me a small glance, nothing more. “About?”
“The pianist,” I say quickly. “There was a performance... she played a song that seemed to… unsettle him. He couldn’t stop staring. When I asked why, he got defensive. Said I was imagining things. Then he left.”
Her eyes lower back to the papers. “You’ve quarreled before.”
“This wasn’t the same.” I pace a little. “He looked at me differently. Like he was searching for somethi
