Chapter 34 She Begins To Lie Beautifully

• The morning at Halden arrived in muted light that made the polished lobby shimmer like glass warmed by dawn. People moved through the space with quiet purpose, their heels clicking softly on marble floors, their voices carried in hushed tones. Ivy paused at the threshold for a moment, breathing in the subtle shift beneath the façade. It was not a look or a whisper that told her something had changed. It was a gentle pressure in the atmosphere, as though the building itself had exhaled and was now giving her room to settle deeper into her own skin.
• She crossed the entry hall with steady steps, feeling the weight of her own awareness pressing against the crisp folds of her blouse. She had dressed to be unseen, but instead she felt undeniable. The blouse draped cleanly, free of wrinkle. The tailored slacks hugged her hips just enough to feel respectful of form and restraint. Each movement was deliberate. Even as the ache lingered from the night before, she did not give any sign. No favoring of her posture. No touching her thigh where the bruise was forming. She had learned to hold everything inward now, to channel memory into silence.
• In the elevator, she pressed the button to the top floor and closed her eyes for a brief moment as the doors swung shut. She inhaled deeply and felt her heartbeat shift, slow and controlled. Her reflection in the mirrored walls remained composed, a woman stepping into expectation. She breathed deep again, reminding herself that all of what made her ache belonged behind the doors, invisible to others. She would carry it. She could decide when to let it surface and who to let see.