Chapter 184

• Nathan's pov
• I sat at the dining table, the late morning sun filtering through the tall glass windows of the mansion. The air was calm, almost deceptively so. Thomas, my ever-efficient butler, was setting out the cutlery and arranging the plates like always—quiet, neat, precise. The scent of roasted vegetables drifted from the kitchen, but I barely had the appetite. My mind had been elsewhere for days. Ever since Claire announced the divorce, something inside me had gone hollow.
• I tapped my fingers on the table absentmindedly, half-listening to the low instrumental music playing in the background.