Without waiting for a reply, she turned and walked down the hallway. Her footsteps were soft against the floor, but the air between them remained tense, heavy with all that was left unsaid.
Later, Thaddeus and Kayden shared a brief chat before he went to sleep, exchanging quiet words that brought a sense of calm between them.
Meanwhile, Darren and Kayden stayed up reading until midnight, eventually dozing off side by side.
The next morning, Thaddeus had no work commitments. He, Rassel, and Lena gathered at the dining table for breakfast. The atmosphere was casual, yet an underlying tension lingered.
Earlier yesterday, Ryland called Lena, who confirmed that she would be spending the night at Thaddeus's place.
That morning, Ryland assumed everything between Lena and Thaddeus was going smoothly. He decided to call Kayden to check on his studies.
"Hey, Kayden, how's your studying going?" Ryland asked over the phone.
