Chapter 73 How Have You Been?

• Adela fidgeted with her fingers, feeling slightly uneasy in the quiet car. Even after all these years, something about being around Layson made her uncomfortable. It wasn’t fear—at least, not anymore—but an awareness that unsettled her. Layson, sitting beside her in the driver’s seat, stole a glance at her out of the corner of his eye. Five years had passed, and she had changed in so many ways, yet some things remained the same. Like now, her small, nervous habits gave away her discomfort. It was both frustrating and endearing.
• “How have you been these past five years?” Layson asked, his voice calm yet oddly weighted with something deeper.
• Adela turned sharply to look at him, clearly caught off guard. She hadn’t expected that—hadn’t expected him to ask such a personal question. Layson had never been the type to inquire about others’ lives, not in a way that felt… genuine. He had always kept his distance, detached and unreadable. The fact that he was asking now threw her completely off balance.