The door to Adam's study closed behind her with a whisper. The hallway was dark, its silence pressing in like a second skin. She didn't run, sob, or scream.
Instead, she walked.
Step by step—past the paintings, the marble statues, the perfect veneer of a life built without her. Her fingertips grazed the edge of a console table. She used to think this place was cold because of its size. Now she knew it was because of what it held.
Memories she didn't belong to. Love she hadn't been part of. Ghosts she couldn't compete with.
Her room was dimly lit by the bedside lamp she had forgotten to turn off. The soft light cast long shadows across the hardwood floor. She sank down on the edge of the bed, still clutching the invisible weight of what she had seen.
The necklace around her throat suddenly felt heavier. She touched it—the same as Natalia's.
Of course it was.
A soft, bitter smile touched her lips. Not out of hatred. Not even envy. Just understanding.
