The morning sunlight streamed through the windows of the shared office, spilling golden warmth over the polished surfaces and muted tones of the room. It had been a couple of weeks since I returned to the estate, and while the weight of what had happened between Mark and me lingered faintly, the atmosphere was... different.
The first few days back had been the hardest. I'd kept mostly to my work, throwing myself into every task with single-minded determination. Mark, to his credit, had respected my boundaries. He didn't hover or push, though his occasional gestures—like leaving me tea when I forgot to take a break—were impossible to ignore. They were small, thoughtful things, but they stayed with me longer than I wanted to admit.
The silence we once filled with tension and misunderstandings was now punctuated by moments of quiet professionalism and—occasionally—something that almost resembled ease.
