Naomi's POV

The morning after Beatrice made her quiet announcement by the window, I gathered the courage to tell the others.

Raymond and Alexander were both in the living room, nursing coffees in thick silence. The kind of silence that felt heavy with thoughts unspoken.

I stood near the window, rubbing my palms together, then spoke.

"She wants to go away for a while."

Both their heads turned toward me at once.

Raymond narrowed his eyes. "Go where?"

"She doesn’t know yet. ...