She ended the call, already turning on her heel to tell Charlotte.

The moment she pivoted, she collided chest-first with Nathaniel, who had just stepped into the corridor. His hands shed up, steadying her before either of them could gasp.

"Easy." His brow furrowed as he searched her startled face. "Who were you talking to? You look like the building''s on fire."

"No one important," she said, brushing past him. "I need to see Charlotte."

She hurried down the hall, skirt whispering around her knees. Charlotte was alone, and Sven''s disappearance had left her friend in a knot of panic.

Nathaniel watched her retreat, then noticed her phone abandoned on the coffee table. With a small shake of his head, he scooped it up and followed, intent on returning it before she reached the courtyard.

The handset chimed in Nathaniel''s palm.

A new message from Calvin lit the screen: "Ceci, take good care of yourself. If anything troubles you, especially if Nathaniel treats you poorly, you must tell me. I will always be your strongest shield."

Nathaniel''s eyes narrowed, storm-grey and unreadable. He attempted to unlock the phone, only to find the passcode had changed. After a tense beat, he exhaled, locked the screen again, and started toward the garden path, her phone still warm in his hand.

Cecilia had just soothed Charlotte''s nerves when she spotted Nathaniel striding toward her.

"Why did youe all the way here?" she asked, surprised.

"You forgot your phone." He extended it to her.

Only then did she realize she had left it behind in her rush.

She reached to take it, but Nathaniel''s voice cut gently across the space between them. "Calvin messaged you a moment ago. I nced at it by ident."

"What did he say?" Cecilia asked, epting the device while curiosity—and a faint unease-tightened inside her chest.

Nathaniel lowered the phone, the corners of his mouth drawn tight. "Just look for yourself," he said, each word clipped, as though spoken through a crack in a door.

Cecilia, unaware of the ice forming

in the space between them, epted the glowing screen. One swipe revealed Calving neatly typed concem, its politeness almost

clinical against the dark mode of the app.

s

With slender thumbs sheposed a reply: "I''m doing great. Nathaniel takes good care of me. Thank you." A gentle tap sent the words into the digital ether.

She raised her eyes again. Nathaniel''s jaw had turned to granite. Grinning, she reached up and gave his cheek a yful pinch.

"What''s the matter with you?"fn326e N?w ?ovel chapt?rs are published on fι?dnοvel/fn326e

He turned his head a fraction, gaze fixed on some invisible point beyond her shoulder. "Nothing."

"Really? Because you look a little storm-cloud gloomy," she teased, stretching thest three words the way one might coax a shy child into admitting mischief.

Nathaniel''s eyes returned to her face. He lifted one hand, the pad of his index finger brushing the velvet curve of her cheek. "I''m not unhappy."

.n

"Liar." She pinched him harder. "Feel how tight your face is? And you im you''re not angry Calvin was only checking on me-nothing more. Don''t tell me you''re still jealous."  s

Nathaniel''s pride fought for air, yet truth forced its way out.

"Isn''t jealousy normal? I''m your husband, father of your children, and another man says things like that to you."

A softugh rippled from her throat. "Oh? Then what about you and Ste Ross? Don''t give me that double standard. Remember her crooning ''Nathaniel'' in front of everyone, swearing she''d whisk you away?"  s

Her voice dropped, no longer yful. "You hurt me again and again for that woman-have you forgotten?"

Ste''s namended like a gavel. Nathaniel''s rebuttal died in his mouth.

He would carry that mistake for a lifetime.

He cleared his throat. "Those are all misunderstandings. They''re behind us, Ceci. Please let''s leave them there."

Every time he thought of those days, he felt shame swirl with an almost physical ache, a memory of how easily he''d been manipted.

"Fine. I won''t mention it again. But, likewise, don''t bring up Calvin. He''s only a friend-nothing more."