Chapter 480. She Denied It

Nicholas’s POV

What Ciaran and Tamara said during dinner affected Jamila more than I initially thought it would. I noticed it not in the dramatic way people often expect—no sudden outburst, no sharp retort, no storming away—but in the small, almost imperceptible ways that reveal far more than words ever could.

Her shoulders stiffened.
Her spine straightened unnaturally, as if she were bracing herself.
And her hands… her hands trembled.

It was subtle. Anyone not paying attention would have missed it. But I was paying attention. I always paid attention to her, even when I told myself I shouldn’t. The delicate porcelain of her fingers rested against the tablecloth, knuckles paling as she tightened her grip, then loosened it again, like she was reminding herself to breathe.

I glanced at her instinctively, my