The sound of the door closing behind her brought Eloise a strange sense of relief, as if she could finally breathe without the weight of August's sharp gaze following her every move. The day had been long. Too intense for what she had been prepared for.

She dropped her bag onto a kitchen chair and began putting away the groceries she had picked up on the way home. Everything simple. Practical. Routine was her way of staying grounded, of not letting herself get pulled into the dangerous games o