Kathrine rose gracefully from the couch, her smile polite but her eyes sharp as she greeted the two figures before her.
"I'm sorry for coming uninvited," she began, her voice steady and composed. "But I assumed by now… the news of my return must have reached you."
Her gaze flicked between them — from Anna's unreadable expression to Daniel's cold, unyielding stare.
Anna remained composed, her posture calm, face betraying nothing. But Daniel's jaw tightened visibly. He hadn't expected Kathrine to walk into his home so boldly — not after everything she had done, and certainly not when she knew exactly what her presence stirred.
Still, her composure, her feigned innocence… it made something bitter rise within him.
He had once thought she was fragile — a woman weighed down by circumstances. But standing before him now, he could finally see her for what she was: deliberate. Calculated. And perfectly aware of the chaos she caused.
