Chapter 36

• The scent of freshly brewed coffee, a scent Cleo had once associated solely with Julian's meticulously organized mornings, now filled their new kitchen with a sense of comforting normalcy. Rowan, shirt sleeves rolled up, hummed a quiet tune as he expertly scrambled eggs, a stark contrast to the tense silence that had become their unwelcome companion in the weeks following the trial. The sun streamed through the large windows of their apartment, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air – a mundane detail that felt strangely precious in the aftermath of their tumultuous escape.
• Their new apartment was small, far smaller than Julian's opulent mansion, but it felt infinitely safer. It was filled with the quiet hum of domesticity, the comforting rhythm of shared routines. Cleo, her fingers stained with vibrant turmeric from a new recipe she was trying, laughed at Rowan's clumsy attempts to chop vegetables, the sound echoing in the space with a lightness she hadn't experienced in years. They were building a life together, brick by brick, carefully, methodically, each small act of creation a defiant gesture against the shadows of their past.
• Their mornings were now filled with the mundane rhythm of shared responsibilities. Rowan, despite his training, insisted on sharing household chores, his hands surprisingly adept at folding laundry and washing dishes. He even attempted to bake bread, a disastrous experiment that ended in a sticky mess and a shared fit of laughter. These simple, ordinary tasks, once symbols of oppression within their previous relationship, now served as a foundation of their new reality, building a sense of shared responsibility and mutual dependence.