Chapter 311

• The snow had been falling on and off for two days, dusting the city in a soft, white hush. Though the estate grounds were blanketed in a thick layer, the staff had already cleared neat paths around the garden terrace. Everything looked picture-perfect the kind of winter stillness that muted the noise of the world.
• Even the orchids, blooming resiliently out of season in my greenhouse extension, had fallen under the snow’s spell. A quick nudge with my boot sent powdery snow scattering, revealing soft purple petals beneath, like defiant whispers of spring in the cold.
• I had taken a rare break from my packed calendar to spend the morning with Ryan. Together, we built a snowman in the middle of the garden courtyard. Ryan, now fully adjusted to our new life, was gleefully animated, finding two mismatched pebbles for the snowman’s eyes and giving it a crooked smile. I wrapped one of my scarves around the snowman’s neck and placed a fedora on its head. From a distance, the snowman looked like a quirky guest at a garden party.