Chapter 62

Avery

The afternoon passed in a blur of warmth I still couldn't quite believe was real.

Kendra led me through rooms filled with light and life—nothing like the cold, formal spaces I'd imagined. We ended up in a sunlit sitting room overlooking the gardens, where she'd arranged an elaborate tea service: delicate pastries, fresh fruit, honey cakes that smelled like childhood comfort.

"I wasn't sure w