Chapter 258 Tessa

• The shift in the house was atmospheric. The sharp, sterile edges of the estate seemed to soften under the weight of the previous night’s confession. Roy no longer paced like a predator; he moved like a man haunted by the sudden clarity of his own reflection. Tessa found herself no longer watching the cameras, but watching him. The resentment was still there, a jagged rock in her chest, but it was being smoothed over by a tide of something far more volatile.
• It was nearly midnight when she found him in the glass-walled lounge. He wasn't drinking. He was staring out at the valley, the lights of distant towns twinkling like fallen stars.
• "You should be sleeping," Roy said without turning. "The air is thin up here. It wears you down if you aren't careful."