Chapter 163

• Theo’s POV
• The house is quiet when I push the door open, just the faint hum of the embroidery machine filling the space and the soft scratch of scissors gliding along fabric. It’s a comforting sound, familiar now. Like this room already belongs to her, like the house’s heartbeat shifted just to match hers.
• She’s sitting at the wide table, her legs curled beneath her, head tilted slightly as she threads a delicate blue ribbon through the bodice of a half-formed dress. Her hands move with practiced care, slow and precise, and I stop in the doorway for a second, just to watch her. Just to breathe it in.