CHAPTER 71

The morning did not feel different in any dramatic way, nothing in the house announced that anything had changed, but Vera felt it the moment she opened her eyes because nobody came rushing in to check on her, nobody called her name from the hallway, nobody tried to fill the silence the way they usually did, and for a few seconds she just lay there staring at the ceiling wondering if this was what it meant when people said space could feel heavier than noise.

When she finally stepped out, the house was already awake. She heard movement before she saw anyone, footsteps down the corridor, the faint sound of dishes somewhere far away, a chair dragging lightly across the floor, and when she reached the dining area she noticed immediately that everyone was there but nobody was doing too much.

Marco sat in his usual place, Elena was already pouring tea she did not really need to pour, Adrian was reading something without really reading it, Xavier was staring at Vera like he had been waiting for her arrival for a while and was pretending he had not been, and Kael’s parents were seated slightly apart, quiet in that way that made their silence feel intentional rather than absent.

Nobody said anything at first. That alone was loud.

Vera sat down slowly and Xavier immediately pushed a plate toward her like nothing in the world had changed since yesterday. She looked at it, then at him, then back at the plate.

“You are acting like I did not eat last night"

you did not eat properly

I ate fine

No...You ate like someone thinking too much

That is not a meal category

Xavier shrugged like she was the one being difficult. “It is now.”

Adrian did not even look up when he said, “He is not wrong"

Vera turned toward him, You are supposed to be on my side

I am on the side of truth

That is betrayal

Elena let out a small laugh, the kind she tried to hide behind her cup, and Marco just shook his head like he had accepted that this was his life now. Kael’s mother glanced at Vera briefly, not intrusive, just observant, like she was trying to understand her without asking for permission to do so. His father said nothing, but his presence carried the kind of quiet authority that made the room slightly more restrained without anyone noticing it consciously.

For a few seconds, it almost felt normal again, like the tension from yesterday had been packed away somewhere and nobody knew whether it was gone or just waiting.

Then Vera noticed it

Nobody asked her anything

Not even once

No one asked what she had decided

No one asked where she stood

No one asked if she had made up her mind

Even Lucian, who had just entered quietly and leaned near the doorway, did not speak immediately. He only looked around once, then at Kael, then at Vera, like he already understood what kind of silence this was

By the time breakfast ended, everyone drifted away in different directions like they had agreed without speaking.

Marco disappeared first, Elena followed shortly after, Adrian left with his phone already pressed to his ear, Xavier lingered just long enough to steal one more piece of food before walking off like he had important things to do that definitely involved nothing important, and Kael’s parents moved toward another part of the house without addressing anyone directly, leaving behind a silence that felt more structured than empty.

Lucian, passing Kael briefly, muttered under his breath, “This house has become a waiting room.”

Kael did not respond

Lucian smirked slightly and added, And nobody likes waiting rooms.

Then he walked away

That left Vera alone inside the house that suddenly felt too big for one person again

She did not go back to her room, She moved slowly not because she had a destination but because standing still felt worse. The house had too many memories now, too many versions of her existing in too many corners, laughing in one place, arguing in another, sitting in silence somewhere else, and as she walked she realized something uncomfortable.

Nobody was stopping her

Nobody was pulling her

Nobody was deciding for her

And that freedom felt heavier than any pressure they had ever put on her

She ended up outside without planning to. The air was cooler than she expected and the estate looked too calm for how loud her thoughts were

She walked past the garden without really seeing it, past the side path where she had once stood arguing with Kael, past the area where had once annoyed her into laughing so hard she forgot to be angry.

Then she stopped.

Because she realized she was thinking about Lina.

Not Kael, Not Marco, Not Elena, Lina.

Her steps slowed as she turned slightly, looking back toward the house like she could see the person she was thinking about through the walls

What happens to her now?

If Vera stayed, will Lina stay in this place?

If Vera left, How will it change Lina's Life?

yes Lina betrayed, but she was still her friend and it wasn't really her fault, so what will she do?

And for the first time, that question felt heavier than her own decision

She turned back inside

She found Lina later in one of the smaller rooms near the kitchen area, sitting cross-legged on the floor with something in her hands she was not really focused on. Lina looked up immediately.

“You have been thinking too much again,” Lina said

I am not thinking too much

That is exactly what someone thinking too much would say

Vera sat opposite her

Then asked her directly, If I leave… what happens to you?

Lina blinked once, What kind of question is that?

A real one

You are acting like I am a suitcase

I am serious

Lina studied her for a moment, Where is this coming from?

Vera exhaled slowly

You came back here because of me, Everything here started because of everything that happened around me, So if I am not here anymore, what happens to your place in all this?

Lina tilted her head slightly, I sincerely did not think about it that way

Before Vera could answer, footsteps entered briefly behind them

Lucian appeared at the doorway, glanced once, then said casually, If this is a group therapy session, I was not invited properly

Lina rolled her eyes

Vera ignored him

Lucian added, more quietly, almost to himself, Everyone in this house is acting like one girl is responsible for the direction of an entire economy

Then he left again

Silence returned

Lina finally answered, softer now. I will figure it out

That is it?

That is reality

Vera did not like it

But she understood it

Because it meant Lina was not anchored to her decision

She was her own person

And that made everything more complicated

By evening, the house had returned to its strange rhythm again, not tense, just waiting in a way that made every sound feel intentional.

Vera did not join anyone, She stayed in motion through the house again, until she eventually stopped near the balcony

That was where Kael found her

She did not turn

Are you avoiding me?

I am not avoiding you

You have been walking like someone trying not to decide where to stand

That is not the same thing

It is exactly the same thing

She finally turned toward him. He was closer than expected, not invading her space but not giving her distance either

I know we asked you to take your time, but everyone downstairs is stylishly waiting on you. He said

She nodded slightly

A long silence followed

Then Vera finally spoke, voice low.

I have decided

Kael did not react.

She turned slightly toward the house.

Then asked the question that had been sitting under everything all day

What happens to Lina?

Kael was surprised because he did not expect such question,....what do u mean?

If I decide to go with my parents, what happens to Lina?...... regardless of whatever happened between us, she was once my friend and I love her.

So I ask again kael, What happens to Lina?

Do my parents even know the part she played in all this?