Chapter 4

Dinner had gone cold.

Adrian sat alone at the long dining table, the overhead lights casting a muted glow over untouched cutlery and a half-finished glass of water. The house was quiet— too quiet, but he had grown used to that. Silence no longer unnerved him the way it once did. It had become his companion, his punishment, and sometimes, his peace.

He leaned back slightly in his chair and picked up his phone, more out of habit than interest. Scrolling has become a reflex these days— news, business updates, market fluctuations, the occasional meaningless headline. Anything to keep his mind occupied once the twins had gone to bed and Hazel’s laughter no longer echoed through the halls— that’s whenever they spent the day with him.

Then his thumb slowed.

And stopped.

His eyes fixed on the screen.

A photo filled it, bright, elegant, unmistakable.

Amelia.

Radiant. Laughing. Her head tilted slightly, eyes glowing with a happiness he hadn’t se