CHAPTER TWENTY ONE: OUR FIRST TOUCH

AVA

Sebastian has been tense for about a week now.

Every day I watch him spiral deeper, like someone trapped inside his own mind. He drinks more than usual. Whiskey. Scotch. Whatever he can find. I hear the clinking of bottles at night, the muffled thud of a chair dragged across the floor, and the silence that follows it all. A silence so loud it echoes.

The worst part? He never lets me near him.

Not even for a second.

I don't know why he's like this. He won't talk. He won't look at me the same. It's like he disappeared and left behind a body that only goes through the motions.

The only consistent thing he does is cook. He cooks every morning, leaves breakfast on the dining table, and disappears. No note. No smile. Just food and silence.

And I… I’m tired of this. Tired of feeling like a ghost in his house.

So today, I decide to do something. I decide to breathe.

I ask for my gown. The emerald one that shimmers slightly when I move. It’s long, royal, and heavy. It trails behind me as I