Noah’s gaze shifted, first to the table, then to Estelle, then back again, measuring the distance, the angle. He straightened slightly, his expression tightening just a fraction as his thoughts began to turn.

Could she have? His gaze sharpened slightly. No. Not possible.

Still, across from him, Estelle lay perfectly still, but her mind raced, thoughts crashing into each other. She had forgotten one thing. She didn’t clear the call. Her fingers twitched against the sheets as she watched him.

Noah unlocked the phone, his thumb moving across the screen as he opened the call log. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Silence settled between them. Thick. Heavy.

Estelle tried to read his face, to find something, anything, but his expression remained calm, giving nothing away as his eyes scanned the screen.

Her heart refused to settle, the rhythm uneven and loud in her chest. Noah’s gaze lingered on her a second longer than it should have. Just enough to make her pulse spike again before he looked away and turned to his phone.

She watched him closely.

His fingers moved across the screen, steady, unhurried. Too steady. Then he lifted the phone to his ear.

Did he not see it? Oh gosh!

Noah angled his body slightly away from her, as if to give himself space from her thoughts. His expression remained composed, but there was a quiet tension in the set of his shoulders.

The line connected.

"We’re set," Noah said, his voice calm, professional. "Can we come in now?"

There was a brief pause, as if Vnce was moving. And then his voice came through the line. "Yes," he said into the phone, his voice smooth with quiet amusement. "You can bring her now. Roman is available."

Noah gave a small nod. "Understood. I’ll bring her now."

He ended the call and turned back to Estelle, a faint smile settling on his face, as if nothing at all had shifted. "We have to go," he said. "Vance says Roman might be leaving soon."

The words hit instantly.

Estelle nodded, too quickly, her breath catching as her heart kicked harder. "Yes, yes, let’s go," she said, urgency bleeding into her voice.

Then reality caught up with her. She glanced down at her legs, the thin sheet draped over them, unmoving.

"But how?" she asked, her voice softer now, edged with frustration.

Noah didn’t answer right away. Instead, he moved to the door and pulled it open. A moment later, he wheeled a chair into the room. "With this," he said simply, guiding it to her bedside.

Estelle blinked. Her brows drew together as she stared at it. That was there the whole time? The thought struck, sharp and fleeting, but she didn’t dwell on it. Not now. Not when everything inside her was pulling in one direction.

Roman. She needed to see him. Needed to touch him, to hear his voice, to tell him she hadn’t left, that none of this was what it looked like.

She braced herself to move, muscles tensing, but before she could, Noah stepped forward and lifted her. The motion was quick, careful, but decisive.

The sudden shift made her breath catch as he settled her gently into the chair. Her fingers tightened on the armrest.

"Don’t do that without asking me next time," she said, her tone controlled, though a flicker of irritation passed through her eyes.

Noah nodded immediately. "Noted. I’m sorry."

For a second, they held each other’s gaze. Then Estelle looked away, gripping the arm of the chair more firmly.

"Let’s go."

—

Outside, the evening air carried a faint warmth, the scent of trimmed grass lingering around the driveway.

Roman approached the front of the house, his steps slowing as his car came into view. And then he saw Lena.

She stood beside it, leaning lightly against the door, one ankle crossed over the other. As she spotted him, she straightened, smoothing her clothes with an easy, practiced motion.

Roman exhaled slowly through his nose, his jaw tightening just a fraction. What does she want now? His expression gave nothing away.

"Hey," Lena said, her voice soft, almost casual, though her eyes searched his face.

Roman gave a short nod, his brows pulling together slightly. "You didn’t tell me you were coming," he said, his tone even, edged with quiet impatience. "Why are you here?"

The contrast between them was stark: her easy smile, his guarded stillness, as the distance between them closed.

"Well, I thought you might want to see me after I helped with the Saunders," Lena said, giving a small shrug. "Maybe take me to a thank-you dinner?"

The lightness in her tone lingered in the air. It was enough to take the edge off him.

Roman leaned back against the side of his car, the metal still warm from the sun. He tilted his head, his eyes drifting up to the evening sky where streaks of orange and fading blue stretched across the horizon. For a moment, his thoughts tangled, replaying everything.

Lena had helped him find Leo, helped him push things just far enough to force a confession, to protect both the Saunders name and Leo’s career.

He exhaled slowly, the breath leaving him heavier than he expected. His eyes closed briefly, lashes brushing his cheeks, before he turned to her.

"Thank you," he said, his voice quieter now, more sincere.

The words settled warmly in Lena’s chest. For a fleeting second, she wanted to reach for him, to close the distance, to touch his arm, to pull him back into something familiar. But she held herself still, hands relaxed at her sides.

Instead, she smiled.

"I never meant not to thank you," Roman added, rubbing a hand lightly along the edge of the car. "I do appreciate it. Especially now."

There was a faint roughness to his voice, like something he wasn’t saying.

Lena shook her head gently, her smile widening. "You don’t have to thank me."

—

High above them, behind the tall glass window, Magnus stood with Vance at his side. From that height, the scene below looked almost staged, two figures by a car, framed by fading light.

Magnus’s expression remained unreadable, his gaze fixed. "What is keeping them?" he asked, his tone flat.

Beside him, Vance glanced at his watch, then back outside. A slow, anticipatory smile spread across his face. "They should be here any moment," he said, almost under his breath. "I can’t wait to see how this unfolds."

He rubbed his palms together lightly, as if warming them for something inevitable.