When Alaric left her chambers, the quiet seemed almost too heavy to bear.
Ayesha sank back into her seat, her gaze fixed on the far wall but her mind miles away. Her thoughts wandered to Marie—her warm smile, her gentle laughter, and the way her eyes softened every time she looked at Levi.
She remembered afternoons when the three of them would sit together in the garden, Marie teasing Levi over his cooking, Levi pretending to be offended, and Ayesha simply enjoying their closeness. They were happy… or at least, they looked happy.
But now, cracks began to appear in those memories.
There had been times when Marie grew unusually quiet, her gaze turning distant as though she were weighing something heavy in her heart. There were nights Ayesha woke to find Marie staring out the window, her face pale under the moonlight, whispering to herself words Ayesha couldn't hear.
