ログインNATHANIELSilence stretches between us, not uncomfortable, but heavy enough to settle into the space and sit there like something waiting to be acknowledged.Children scream somewhere behind me, the sound high and wild with excitement as water splashes from one of the shallow pools, droplets catching the light before disappearing into the sand.The parents burst into laughter around the bar, glasses clinking as someone says something just inappropriate enough to make the others lean in closer.At some point, I even think they are laughing at me because of how miserable and pathetic I must look. And right in the middle of that thought, I feel a hand brush over mine, light and careful.Harriette’s fingers settle over my clenched fist like they know exactly how much pressure to apply without forcing anything open.I don’t move. I let it sit there. Let the warmth of it settle just enough to remind me that I am not entirely alone in this space, even if it feels like I am exposed as a tee
NATHANIELI cannot remember the last time the estate felt this alive.Every corner holds a different kind of noise, a different kind of movement, and a different kind of joy that does not ask for permission before it takes over the space.And yet, I can. Last year, a day just like this. Grace’s birthday. But the difference now is not the scale. It’s the fact that this time, none of it has anything to do with me. Betty made sure of that.She said she didn’t need help when I offered more than once to step in and handle whatever might overwhelm her, to take some of it off her shoulders.I even went down to the guest house, thinking maybe I could catch her at the right moment, and say something that would convince her I really wanted to be part of this, but it didn’t go as I thought it would. She opened the door, looked at me, and closed it before I could even get a hi past my lips.It stung. More than I’d like to admit. And to make it worse, halfway back to the house, I saw Rhys’s car
BETTYAs promised, ten minutes later, I see Rhys shaking hands with the men before making his way toward me.I am seated at the bar counter, halfway through an iced coffee I haven’t really been drinking, my fingers wrapped loosely around the glass as I watch him approach.He stops just behind me, close enough for me to feel his presence before he even speaks, one hand sliding into his pocket.“We can take that walk now,” he says.I push the glass aside, slide off the barstool without finishing it and lead the way out of the club.The shift from dim lighting to open air is immediate as we step onto the street, the late afternoon stretching into early evening.We start walking side by side. Not too close, not too far. And for the first ten minutes, all I could hear was just the sound of our footsteps and the quiet movements of the city around us.I tilt my head slightly toward him, the silence becoming awkward. “How are you?”“Good,” he replies immediately. “You?”“I’m good too.”Anothe
BETTYI hadn’t seen or heard from Rhys since he left my kitchen.At first, I told myself it was okay. That it didn’t mean anything. He was busy running his club or caught up in whatever it was that filled his time when he wasn’t with me.But by the third day, that excuse stopped holding.I tried not to overthink and convinced myself that I didn’t have to reach out because if he wanted to talk, he would.But when the silence stretched way too long, I finally I texted him. Then I called. But I got no response.And just like that, it became something I couldn’t ignore anymore. He was avoiding me.The realization settled in slowly, not sharp enough to hurt, but heavy enough to sit in my chest and refuse to move.And the worst part of it all was that I still didn’t know what my answer would have been. I still didn’t know what I would say if he stood in front of me again, looked at me the way, and said those little magic words.But I was sure of one thing. I hated the distance. I hated this
NATHANIEL“Excuse?” I scoff, the sound sharp, disbelieving. “I did not exaggerate anything. I…” I stop myself. Because why the hell am I explaining myself? I owe him nothing.“You know what,” my tone flattens as I pull back from the edge of saying too much, “I don’t have to explain myself to you.” And I turn to leave, but his hand clamps around my bicep.The grip is rough. Aggressive. Not meant to stop me, but to challenge me.I go still, my gaze dropping first to his hand, before I look back at him.“Get your hand off me,” I order, my voice stripped of the concern I felt a few minutes ago, replaced with anger beneath it.“I will,” he says, stepping closer, his grip tightening instead of loosening, his breath carrying the faint edge of alcohol, not enough to dull him, just enough to make him reckless. “But you’re going to admit it first.”My jaw locks.“That you told her that so she would panic. So she wouldn’t leave with me.” A pause settles between us. “Admit it.”I yank my arm free
NATHANIELTwo days ago, I left work earlier than I should have, telling myself that the distance from the office would somehow make the decisions easier to navigate.That was the justification. And it held on all the way until I got home.When I arrived, I went to Grace. Because it made sense that I check on her now that I'm here. That it was responsible, and had nothing to do with anything else, even though I was sure she would not be alone.My hand settled on the knob and stayed there for a second longer than necessary, long enough for hesitation to register, long enough for me to reconsider and walk, but then I heard them talking.“What’s complicated?” Grace’s voice, light and curious, carried through the door with a clarity that made stepping away feel like a conscious decision rather than an instinctive one.I leaned back against the door not fully, not enough to draw attention, but enough to remain close, enough to hear what came next.“It’s a grown-up word adults use when it’s
BETTYI am back home, my body aching in places I didn’t know could ache, and my ears still ringing faintly with music and laughter.I slipped out quietly after telling Rhys to hold down the fort, smiling like everything was fine, and like the night hadn’t cracked something open inside me that I can
NATHANIELIt doesn’t take a genius to understand what just happened.Betty doesn’t raise her voice or panic. She goes very still, very focused, just like people do when something has gone wrong, and they are yet know how bad it is.The worker leans in, says something brief, and the change in her is
BETTYSomeone is calling my name from the bar while two servers argue over tray placement near the entrance.The lighting technician is asking if we’re committing to warm gold or neutral white, and the DJ wants confirmation on whether the sound check can start early.All of it is colliding at once
NATHANIEL.It has been almost three weeks since Betty and I made a deal, and in that time, she has become a ghost inside her own house.She’s been doing everything possible to avoid crossing paths with me. Moving through the estate with the kind of precision that suggests planning rather than coinc







