The Valmere estate felt different.
Liora noticed it the moment she stepped out of her room on Monday morning.
The silence was still there.
But it wasn’t the same silence.
This one moved.
Footsteps echoed through corridors more frequently than before.
Staff members appeared and disappeared carrying files, trays, and boxes.
Security personnel occupied positions that had previously been empty.
The house was awake.
And everyone seemed to know why.
Cassian Valmere was home.
Liora adjusted her bag on her shoulder and immediately changed direction.
Nope.
Absolutely not.
If there was even the slightest chance of accidentally running into him, she intended to avoid it.
At least until she figured out how to breathe normally around the idea of him.
As she turned the corner toward another staircase, a familiar voice stopped her.
“Running away?”
Liora froze.
Then sighed.
Adrian.
Of course.
He stood near one of the tall windows overlooking the gardens, dressed in another immaculate suit.
She was beginning to suspect he slept in them.
“I’m not running away.”
“You changed directions twice in under ten seconds.”
“I was exploring.”
Adrian looked unimpressed.
“The same hallway you’ve walked through every morning for a week?”
Liora narrowed her eyes.
“Do you monitor my movements?”
“No.”
A pause.
“I simply pay attention.”
“That’s somehow worse.”
To her annoyance, one corner of his mouth twitched.
Not quite a smile.
But close enough.
Liora crossed her arms.
“What are you going to do?”
“About?”
“About Cassian.”
The amusement vanished immediately.
“He is returning to his routine.”
“Which includes?”
“Working.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
Silence.
Then Adrian looked toward the staircase.
“He frequented Elara’s room.”
Liora blinked.
“What?”
“Often.”
A strange heaviness entered his voice.
“Especially after her death.”
The answer caught her off guard.
For a second, neither spoke.
Then Adrian continued.
“Which is why you’re in a different room.”
Understanding settled slowly.
The room she’d been given wasn’t random.
It was strategic.
Protection.
Distance.
Separation.
From grief.
Liora looked away.
Suddenly uncomfortable.
“So if I stayed there…”
“He would’ve found you.”
Silence.
A shiver crawled down her spine.
Not because Cassian was dangerous.
Because he wasn’t.
Grief was.
And she had a feeling grief could be far more frightening.
Before leaving for school, Liora found herself near one of the estate’s administrative offices.
The door stood slightly open.
Voices drifted through.
Normally, she would’ve continued walking.
Normally.
But Adrian’s voice made her pause.
“…I trust everything has been handled.”
A woman’s voice answered.
Calm.
Professional.
“I assure you it has.”
Liora glanced through the narrow opening.
The woman standing inside looked to be in her late fifties.
Tall.
Elegant.
Silver streaks threaded through her dark hair.
Her posture was flawless.
She carried herself with the confidence of someone who had survived decades in rooms full of powerful people.
The Head of Staff.
Liora had seen her before.
Mrs.
Davenport.
Adrian folded his arms.
“I hope you’ve ensured their lips remain sealed.”
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
Liora blinked.
The words sounded almost demeaning.
Almost threatening.
But Mrs Davenport didn’t flinch.
Didn’t lower her gaze.
Didn’t shrink.
Instead, she lifted her chin slightly and met Adrian’s eyes.
“My staff understand their responsibilities.”
Adrian remained silent.
Mrs Davenport continued.
“Anyone unable to maintain discretion has already been dismissed.” This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Silence stretched.
Then:
“You have my word.”
To Liora’s surprise, Adrian nodded.
Not dismissively.
Respectfully.
The realisation struck her immediately.
Adrian wasn’t speaking harshly because he looked down on her.
He was speaking to someone he trusted enough to tell uncomfortable truths.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Before either could notice her eavesdropping, she slipped away.
***
St.
Aureline felt strangely empty.
Mostly because Tessa wasn’t there.
It checks out because they didn’t attend the same classes to begin with.
And they also didn’t live together anymore.
“I should probably go see her sometime,” she whispers, looking at Tessa’s name on her contact list, then puts her phone into her pocket.
After class ended, she finally spotted a familiar face.
Unfortunately…
It wasn’t Tessa.
It was Bianca.
Liora immediately considered turning around.
Too late.
Bianca had already seen her.
The girl approached with two friends trailing behind her.
Perfect.
Exactly what every Monday needed.
Bianca’s eyes swept over Liora’s outfit.
Then her shoes.
Then the expensive car was waiting outside the campus.
Her expression sharpened.
“Must be nice.”
Liora kept walking.
Bianca matched her pace.
“I mean, seriously.”
Still walking.
Still ignoring.
Bianca laughed.
“Come on.”
Silence.
“Everyone’s wondering.”
Liora stopped.
Slowly.
“What exactly are they wondering?”
Bianca smiled.
The smile of someone who enjoyed unpleasant things.
“Whether you found a rich boyfriend.”
The two girls behind her laughed.
“I mean, look at her,” she turns to her friends, “she’s changed so much.”
She turns back to her.
Liora stared.
Then blinked.
Once.
Twice.
Then kept walking.
Nothing else.
No argument.
No defense.
No explanation.
Behind her, Bianca called:
“Funny how fast people change when money appears!”
Liora didn’t look back.
Because if there was one thing the past few weeks had taught her…
It was that not every battle deserved attention.
Still.
The words lingered.
Long after she’d left.
That evening, the estate felt even more alive.
A black luxury vehicle stood near the entrance.
Staff moved quickly.
Conversations remained hushed.
Cassian was somewhere inside.
The knowledge followed Liora all the way upstairs.
She should’ve gone directly to her room.
Instead… she found herself standing before another door.
One she hadn’t seen opened before.
Elara’s room.
The door wasn’t locked.
That fact alone surprised her.
For several seconds, she hesitated.
Then curiosity won.
Again.
The room felt untouched.
Not abandoned.
Preserved.
Like someone had paused time.
Soft cream walls.
Bookshelves.
Photographs.
A reading chair near the window.
Fresh flowers sat in a vase.
Someone still replaced them.
The realisation hurt unexpectedly.
Liora stepped further inside.
Slowly.
Carefully.
As though afraid the room might reject her.
A notebook rested on a desk.
Several sketches lay nearby.
Not professional sketches.
Personal ones.
Messy.
Creative.
Human.
She picked one up.
A poorly drawn dog.
The sight made her laugh.
Another showed architectural doodles mixed with random notes.
Apparently, Elara became distracted easily.
A shelf near the bed contained souvenirs from different countries.
Tiny reminders of trips.
Experiences.
Life.
Liora moved from object to object.
Building a picture.
Not of Elara Valmere.
But of Elara.
And with every discovery, the resemblance mattered less.
Because the differences mattered more.
Then—
Footsteps.
Liora froze.
A man’s footsteps.
Coming closer.
Her heart nearly stopped.
No.
No, no, no.
Not now.
The handle turned.
Panic exploded.
Suddenly, another hand grabbed her wrist.
Strong.
Fast.
Before she could scream, she was pulled backwards.
A door opened.
Darkness swallowed her.
Then another body entered beside her.
The door closed.
Closet.
The realisation hit immediately.
Closet.
Very small closet.
Very small.
Liora turned.
Adrian stood inches away.
Far too close.
Far.
Too.
Close.
Neither spoke.
Because outside—
The bedroom door opened.
Cassian.
Liora’s heartbeat thundered so loudly she was certain the entire estate could hear it.
The closet remained dark.
Quiet.
And impossibly cramped.
Adrian’s shoulder brushed hers.
Neither moved.
Neither could.
Outside, footsteps crossed the room.
Slow.
Measured.
Heavy.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
The kind of footsteps grief leaves behind.
Liora held her breath.
Cassian stopped somewhere nearby.
Silence followed.
Long silence.
As if he were simply standing there.
Looking.
Remembering.
The quiet felt almost sacred.
Then a drawer opened.
Closed.
More silence.
Liora found herself wondering what he looked like now.
The photographs she’d seen were years old.
But she imagined:
Tall.
Broad-shouldered.
Dark hair threaded heavily with silver.
Strong features softened by age.
And eyes carrying too many memories.
Outside, movement resumed.
A few more footsteps.
Then stillness.
Again.
Eventually, Cassian sighed.
The sound was soft.
But somehow devastating.
The sigh of a man carrying years of loss.
A few moments later, footsteps moved toward the door.
The bedroom door opened.
Closed.
Silence.
Neither Liora nor Adrian moved immediately.
Finally:
“He left.”
Adrian’s voice was barely above a whisper.
Liora released a breath she hadn’t realised she’d been holding.
Then became painfully aware of how close they still were.
Very.
Very close.
Neither mentioned it.
Neither looked directly at it.
Instead, Adrian opened the closet door.
Light flooded inside.
And together they stepped back into Elara’s room.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Liora glanced toward the door Cassian had used.
The room suddenly felt different.
Heavier.
Sadder.
As though the grief lingering inside it had briefly become visible.
And for the first time since arriving at the estate…
Liora truly understood something.
Cassian Valmere wasn’t haunted by his daughter’s memory.
He was living inside it.