Chapter 41 A Wound That Won't Heal

• The house felt different.
• Rose noticed it the moment she stepped through the door the next morning, her steps echoing too loudly in the vast silence. The air, once filled with Ella’s giggles and the quiet hum of comfort, now pressed against her like a weight. Every corner of the luxurious space seemed colder.
• Christian was there physically but it was like standing beside a locked door, one she no longer had the key to. He offered no greeting, no glance, not even a flicker of acknowledgment. Just silence. Heavy, stifling silence.