Chapter 20 Fractures In The Glass

• The morning sunlight streamed into the penthouse, slicing across the marble floor in sharp beams. Élise stood at the window, clutching a steaming cup of coffee. Her reflection in the glass looked pale and unsteady, her eyes shadowed from a night of restless thoughts.
• Lucien’s exit still echoed in her chest. His protective warmth had been a shield, but now he was gone, and the weight of silence was unbearable. Worse than his absence was the man she had seen in the blackout, the intensity of his gaze. A ghost she hadn’t prepared to face.
• Her breath caught as she remembered the faint glimmer of recognition. It was impossible… yet Camille’s sharp glance had told her she hadn’t imagined it. Camille had noticed too, though she had said nothing.