I step out of the car, and the Kael mansion rises before me, glowing like a jewel against the deepening violet of the evening sky. Just like always.
The air carries the scent of night-blooming jasmine and damp earth—the first breath of winter settling into the bones of the estate.
The servants are lined up as always, their backs straight, their hands folded, their heads bowed in practiced deference. They greet me in unison as I pass—voices soft, rehearsed, familiar.
I don't look at them. I don't acknowledge them. I just keep walking, my steps measured and calm, my face carefully blank.
After everything that happened today—after Deniz's guarded silence, his cold eyes, the way he looked at me like I was a stranger wearing a familiar face—I don't know what I feel anymore.
The numbness is a shield I'm learning to wear.
And I wear it well.
