Emily's POV We moved into a new estate three months ago. There was no need to, we just wanted somewhere more secluded and private. Hope had christened it "the house on the hill" in the simple declarative way of children, and the name had stuck. It was it's official name now. My studio was bigger. Adrian had insisted on installing proper heating, proper lighting, a small kitchenette where I could make tea without walking back to the main house. He'd done it quietly, without asking what I needed, simply observing my habits and anticipating them with the thoroughness that characterized everything he did. This morning, I was working alabaster. A small piece, intimate, a study of hands cradling something invisible—air, perhaps, or possibility. The stone was responding well, its grain smooth and cooperative, and I'd lost track of time in the way that still felt like stealing, like getting away with something I wasn't supposed to have. "Mom! Aunt Lila's here and she said she brought chao
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