The villa, finally, was peaceful again. No loud footsteps. No loud voice echoing through his halls.
He exhaled slowly and tilted his head to the side, eyes still fixed on the road even after the taxi had long disappeared. A drop of water fell from his damp hair, sliding down the side of his neck.
For a moment, his lips curved slightly—not into a smile but something like quiet satisfaction.
Scarlett was gone.
But then…his gaze shifted down again, to the small figure still standing near the gate.
Bella.
Still waving.
Still smiling faintly at nothing.
And somehow…his fingers curled tighter around the coffee mug.
During lunch, the atmosphere was unusually quiet. Bella sat at the long dining table, her hands resting gently beside her plate, barely touching her food. The clinking of silverware and faint rustle of the curtains from the breeze outside were the only sounds that filled the air.
