The kitchen was still when I walked in, wrapped in the kind of silence that feels almost heavy. No staff. No music. Only the hum of the refrigerator and the faint sounds of the city drifting through the window.

I turned on the tap and filled a glass of water. It was cold against my lips — clean, grounding, real.

Then a thought cut through the calm.

What if someone else takes my place?

Not me.

Another woman.

Someone who says yes to Julian.

Someone who wears his ring and believes his ...