At 11:40 p.m., the gates of the Estates slowly opened, and a black Porsche drove in.

"Sir, we’ve arrived."

Jim switched on the interior light and glanced at the rear seat.

I had asked him to pick me up after dropping Alicia off. I knew I wouldn’t be in any condition to drive tonight.

Leaning back against the seat, I had been resting with my eyes closed. At his voice, I lifted a hand to rub my brow, then opened my eyes and stepped out of the car.

The night air sobered me slightly as I walked toward the house.

I pushed the door open.

Darkness greeted me.

For a brief moment, I paused before reaching for the switch by the wall. The lights flickered on, flooding the living room with brightness that made me squint.

Empty.

The space felt unusually quiet, the light casting long shadows across the room—leaving only my figure standing there.

Something felt... off.

I couldn’t quite place it.

I walked into the kitchen and poured myself a glass of warm water. When I stepped back into the living room, it finally struck me.

In the past, no matter how late I returned, the lights were always on.

Alicia would be there.

Sometimes watching television.

Sometimes scrolling through her phone.

Sometimes curled up on the sofa, fast asleep—waiting for me to carry her back to the bedroom.

She was always waiting.

At the beginning of the month, when I returned from my business trip, she had done the same—fallen asleep on the couch while waiting for me.

...

But after I brought up the topic of divorce—

That was the last time.

Since then, every night I came home, the house had been like this.

Dark. Silent.

Cold.

"Sir, you’re back."

Maria’s voice broke the stillness as she stepped out, having heard the noise.

"Mm."

"You’ve been drinking. Should I make you some hangover soup?"

"Go ahead."

I took a sip of water and sat down on the couch, leaning back as I closed my eyes, pressing my fingers against my temple.

A few minutes later, Maria returned with a bowl of soup and placed it on the coffee table.

"Sir, drink it while it’s hot."

"Mm," I replied, but didn’t move.

Seeing this, she went back to the kitchen and soon returned with a plate of freshly cut fruit, setting it down in front of me.

"If you don’t feel like having the soup, you can try some fruit instead."

"...Thank you."

"It’s nothing," she said gently. "These were actually prepared for Madam. But Miss Alicia didn’t seem to have much of an appetite today. She barely ate dinner and went upstairs early. The fruit was left untouched." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

My hand paused slightly.

For a moment, my thoughts drifted back to what I had seen in the office earlier.

"Is her stomach acting up again?" I asked.

"It seemed a bit worse today," Maria replied carefully. "She also looked... preoccupied."

"I see."

I nodded faintly, picked up a piece of fruit, and took a few absent-minded bites before standing up.

"I’ll head upstairs."

The hallway was quiet as I made my way to the master bedroom.

When I pushed the door open, the emptiness inside felt even more pronounced.

Silent.

Cold.

Alicia was still staying in the guest room.

For a brief moment, something tightened in my chest.

I said nothing.

After a quick shower, I changed into my pajamas and lay down on the bed.

The room felt larger than usual.

I closed my eyes.

But sleep didn’t come as easily as it used to.

After tossing and turning for a while, I finally gave up on sleep.

For some reason, my mind wouldn’t settle.

In the end, I got up and walked out of the room.

Almost unconsciously, my steps led me to Alicia’s door.

It was slightly ajar.

For a moment, I stood there... then pushed it open and stepped inside, closing it quietly behind me.

The room was dim.

Alicia lay curled up on the bed, her body drawn into itself, as if trying to take up as little space as possible. Her long brown hair was spread across the pillow, soft and unguarded.

I walked over and sat down at the edge of the bed.

In the faint light, I studied her face

And stilled.

There were traces of dried tears on her cheeks.

My gaze lingered.

What... had made her cry?

The question surfaced instinctively, but no answer followed.

After a moment, I reached out and adjusted the blanket around her, tucking her in properly.

My movements were careful, almost unfamiliar.

Then, without thinking too much about it, I lay down beside her.

The mattress dipped slightly.

Perhaps she sensed it.

In her sleep, Alicia shifted, her body instinctively leaning toward me.

As if seeking warmth.

As if it was something she had done countless times before.

I froze for a brief second.

Then slowly... I relaxed.

Her presence was quiet, soft.

Familiar.

Before I realized it, my arm had moved slightly, allowing her to settle more comfortably against me.

The room fell silent again.

And this time—

Sleep came easily.

Alicia’s POV

The next morning, when I woke up, the bed was empty.

But there were faint traces that someone had been there.

For a moment, I lay still, recalling the hazy feeling from the night before—

as if someone had held me... warm, familiar.

Like a dream.

But why would Alexander come to my room?

The thought felt almost absurd.

I pushed it aside and got up to get ready.

By the time Alexander returned from his morning run, I was already seated at the dining table. Maria was just setting out breakfast.

He went upstairs first, then came back down after a shower, dressed neatly as always, and took his seat across from me.

"Morning."

I lowered my gaze to my plate. "Morning."

Silence settled over the table as we ate.

After a while, I set down my utensils and stood up. "I’m done. I’m heading to the office."

Alexander paused, then placed his utensils down as well. "I’m done too. I’ll go with you."

...

We sat in the back seat of the car.

Jim drove quietly.

The atmosphere was heavy, the silence almost tangible.

No one spoke.

I couldn’t remember when it had started—

but the conversations between us had grown fewer and fewer.

Neither of us had ever been particularly talkative, but before... I used to try.

I would find topics, make small remarks, fill the space between us.

Now—

I didn’t feel the need to anymore.

Most of the time, I simply stared out the window, letting my thoughts drift.

"Not in a good mood?" Alexander’s voice broke the silence.

"No."

A brief pause.

"Then why aren’t you talking?"

"There’s nothing to say."

And it was the truth.

We had reached a point where there was nothing left to talk about.

In the past, even if our conversations were sparse, they had never felt this... empty.

Now, it was just silence.

Cold and distant.

I could tell he noticed.

After a moment, he spoke again. "Is this about your dissatisfaction with Sophia’s punishment? She’s already apologized to me for not properly managing the interns. Cutting half of her year-end bonus is a significant penalty."

I turned my head slightly, looking at him for the first time.

For a brief moment, I wondered—

what made him think this was about the punishment?

"Does CEO Blackwood really believe," I said calmly, "that it was the intern under Sophia’s supervision who made that post?"

My voice wasn’t loud.

But it was steady.

And for the first time—

there was a quiet edge to it.