Chapter 204: The Silence That Follows

The morning sunlight filtered weakly through the thin curtains. The light should have been comforting, warming, but to Katherine, it felt like a spotlight on the chaos in her heart. She sat at the edge of the dining chair, her untouched cup of tea cooling beside her. Her phone lay on the table, screen dark, though she had already refreshed the news app a dozen times.

Felix Hartmann announces engagement to heiress Lara Quinn.