Chapter 211

• Third person pov
• Christmas morning dawned with soft flakes of snow drifting lazily down the tall windows of the Shaw estate. The air was tinged with the aroma of cinnamon, roasted chestnuts, and pine from the towering Christmas tree that glittered at the center of the living room. Gifts piled beneath its branches, and the warm chatter of family filled the space as butlers moved about serving hot cocoa and pastries.
• Claire sat beside Olivia on the velvet sofa, her hands folded tightly in her lap. She wore a deep green dress Mariya had pressed for her the night before, her hair brushed back neatly. Though she managed a polite smile at Olivia’s cheerful stories, her mind was distant. Last night’s conversation with Nathan lingered still, the weight of his gift, his words about not wanting divorce. Pretend. She had reminded him they were pretend. But his expression—half-pleading, half-stubborn—haunted her.