Semua Bab BOUND BY SECRET, BAILED BY LOVE: Bab 21 - Bab 30

The house felt strangely quiet the next morning.Arielle noticed it the moment she came downstairs.Lucien was already gone.Margaret was arranging flowers in the dining room when Arielle stepped into the kitchen.“Good morning, Miss Laurent,” Margaret said warmly.“Morning.”Arielle opened the cabinet and reached for a mug.“Mr. Moreau left early today,” Margaret added casually.Arielle paused for half a second before continuing to pour coffee.“Oh.”“He said he had meetings all morning.”“That sounds like him.”Margaret studied her briefly but didn’t say anything else.Arielle carried her coffee to the dining table and sat down.The chair across from her was empty.Her fingers wrapped around the warm mug.Last night replayed in her mind.The way he had just nodded.The way he had walked upstairs without saying anything more.It shouldn’t bother her.That was the whole point of avoiding him in the first place.Still, something about the silence felt… strange.She took a sip of coffee

The house felt different the next few days.Not quieter.Just… strange.Lucien was around, but not really around.Arielle noticed it immediately.He still greeted her in the mornings. Still asked if she needed anything when they crossed paths in the hallway. Still kept his usual calm expression.But something about him had shifted.Like a door had quietly closed somewhere between them.And it bothered her more than she expected.⸻Two days after Mary’s visit, Arielle stood near the front steps waiting for Roman.The late afternoon sun warmed the driveway.Roman pulled the car around and stepped out.“Ready?”“For what?” she asked.“You said you wanted to get out of the house.”Arielle crossed her arms lightly.“I didn’t say that.”“You heavily implied it.”She sighed.“Fine. Maybe I did.”Roman grinned and opened the passenger door for her.“Then let’s go before you change your mind.”As the car pulled away from the house, Arielle glanced once toward the tall windows.She couldn’t see

Arielle lay on her back staring at the ceiling. The faint light from the garden lamps outside slipped through the curtains and painted soft shadows across the room.Sleep refused to come.She turned to the side. Then back again.Her mind kept replaying the night. The event. Henry’s eyes studying her like she was something he had seen before but couldn’t place.Your face feels familiar.Her fingers tightened around the edge of the blanket.She hated that man.Not because he had done anything obvious tonight. In fact, he had been almost polite.That was what made it worse.He looked at people like he was slowly taking them apart.And for a moment tonight… she had felt exposed.Arielle exhaled slowly and pushed the blanket aside.There was no point trying to sleep anymore.She slipped out of bed and walked toward the window. The garden below was silent. The tall hedges moved gently in the night breeze.Everything looked peaceful.But this house had never felt peaceful to her.This was th

Morning came slowly.Arielle woke up later than usual. Pale sunlight filled the room, warming the edges of the bed. For a moment she stayed still, staring at the ceiling, letting the quiet settle around her.Then last night rushed back.Lucien in the doorway.His eyes moving to the shelves.The way he had said, If you’re curious about something, you can just ask me.Her stomach tightened.Had he known?She sat up quickly, pushing the blanket aside. The room suddenly felt too warm.No.If Lucien had actually suspected something serious, he would have asked directly. That was the kind of man he was. Direct. Controlled.Still… the thought lingered like a small stone in her chest.Arielle walked to the window and pulled the curtain aside. The garden below looked calm in the daylight. The same peaceful picture as always.But peace had nothing to do with the truth buried inside this house.She exhaled slowly.Last night had been reckless. Searching his office like that. Getting caught.She

The car rolled through the gates just after sunset.Arielle leaned her head back against the seat as the house came into view. The large windows glowed warmly against the darkening sky.It looked peaceful from the outside.Almost inviting.She knew better.Roman slowed the car to a stop near the entrance.“You survived the day,” he said lightly.“Barely.”“That bad?”“Just long.”Roman stepped out and opened the door for her.“Well, tomorrow we can drive somewhere farther away.”Arielle laughed softly as she stepped out.“You sound like you’re planning an escape route.”“Every good driver has one.”She shook her head, still smiling as she walked toward the front door.For a moment she forgot where she was.Forgot the house.Forgot the family that lived inside it.The smile faded the moment she stepped into the foyer.Lucien stood near the staircase.Waiting.His posture was relaxed, one hand resting in his pocket, but his eyes moved to her immediately.Something in her chest tightened