Chapter 107

The silence in the cellar seemed to stretch into infinity, my confession hanging in the air like something poisonous. I waited for it—the disappointment, the hurt, the sense of betrayal to cross Arthur's face. But what came next left me completely stunned.

A laugh.

Not a polite chuckle or an awkward laugh to ease the tension, but a deep, genuine, full-bodied laugh that came straight from his che