NIKO.
Alex was avoiding me and at this point, I wasn’t imagining it. I noticed it during breakfast. She slipped into the dining room, set the kids’ plates down, and left before I could even say “good morning.” I noticed it again during the afternoon check-in with Edmund. She didn’t come by the study once, even though she usually updated the schedule. And then during the kids’ activity setup, she spoke to everyone else except me.
It was intentional, I could see it. And it bothered me.
I leaned back in my office chair, tapping a pen against my desk. Had I been rude? Probably. But I didn’t think I’d been that rude. Firm, yes. Blunt, definitely. But I had warned her not to get me involved with anything Christmas-related. She had overstepped, and I shut it down. End of story.
Or at least, i
