Chapter 52 The Confrontation

• When Alexander returned, the air between them was thick with tension. Celia knew it was only a matter of time before he sensed something was off. She had been dreading this moment, the moment when everything she had tried to keep buried would come to light. But no matter how much she tried to prepare herself, no matter how many times she rehearsed what she would say, the words felt like stones lodged in her throat.
• He had walked into the house just moments ago, his presence as commanding as ever. Celia could see it in his eyes—the shift, the slight narrowing of his gaze as he scanned her face, searching for something he couldn’t name. He had always been so perceptive, so in tune with the subtle shifts in her mood. And today, it seemed, the silence between them spoke louder than anything else.
• “Celia,” he said, his voice low but laced with uncertainty, as if he were testing the waters before diving into the depths. “Is something wrong? You seem distant.”