Finally, Lydia spoke. “Ethan has been under enormous pressure since Julian collapsed. He’s been responsible for ensuring nothing destabilizes the estate.”
“Which includes destabilizing me,” I said.
“No,” she replied gently. “It includes ensuring you don’t destabilize everything else.”
I looked at Ethan. “Is that what you believe?”
He didn’t answer.
That was answer enough.
---
That night, I didn’t cry.
I lined my jewelry on the vanity — earrings, bracelets, rings — small symbols of belonging that suddenly felt provisional.
Julian lay silent somewhere in the house.
And the man who had once guarded my silence had begun guarding everyone else from me.
Third Person's POV
The first sign that something had changed was not a confrontation, not an argument, and not even a suspicious look across the breakfast table. It was the calendar update that appeared on Isabella’s phone just after sunrise, a sterile block of blue that occupied the entire afternoon.
Grantstone Risk Review — Mandatory Attendance.
There was no sender name attached to the entry. No explanation. No courtesy of context.