Chapter 4 4

Lila smiled faintly. "I know it sounds intense. But this family... this life... it's part of me. I know where I fit. It might take time, but I believe things fall into place when they're meant to."

Another silence followed. Claire glanced toward the mansion-the way the windows glinted like watchful eyes.

"He's... difficult," Claire said carefully.

"I know," Lila said without missing a beat. "But I don't need him to be easy. I need him to trust that I'm not going anywhere. And eventually... he'll see that I'm the right choice. The only choice, really."

Claire didn't reply. Not because she agreed or disagreed-just because there didn't seem to be anything to say.

Lila looked out over the garden again. "I don't expect some fairytale. I just want... something real. And Adrian? He's real. Flawed and complicated and guarded, but real. That's what I want."

She stood, brushing invisible dust from her skirt. "Thanks for listening," she said, her tone light again. "Sometimes it helps to talk, y'know?"

Claire gave a small nod. "It's fine."

Lila smiled, looking satisfied. "You're easy to talk to, Claire. I like that."

She turned to leave, then paused. "Oh, and-don't read too much into what I said. Just girl talk. Between us."

Claire gave a small, almost imperceptible smile. "Of course."

As Lila disappeared around the rose hedge, Claire stayed seated. The shadows had deepened, and the fountain's trickle seemed louder in the quiet. She didn't know what exactly she was feeling-just that something in Lila's words had settled in her chest like a stone dropped into still water.

Not because of Adrian.

But because of the certainty in Lila's voice.

And how much it didn't leave room for anyone else.

It was nearly midnight when Claire found herself lying on the small bed in her room, eyes open, staring at the ceiling fan as it hummed in slow, lazy circles above her. The air was heavy, warm despite the fan's effort, and silence pressed in around her like a blanket.

Her thoughts drifted-uninvited and persistent-back to campus. To the life she had placed on pause.

She missed the noise.

The kind of noise that filled the campus streets: students laughing, vendors calling out, loud conversations from open hostel windows. Even the chaos of last-minute lecture rushes and group project arguments seemed comforting now. Everything at Devereux Mansion was controlled, quiet, meticulous. Polished floors, gentle voices, and tension that lived in the spaces between footsteps.

A sharp buzz jerked her from her thoughts.

Her phone vibrated on the small wooden table beside her bed. She reached for it quickly, heart lifting a little when she saw the caller ID.

"Emily"

A smile curved at the corners of her mouth. Her roommate, her friend, her anchor in the whirlwind that was university life.

"Claireeee!" came the familiar chirp once she answered.

"Emily" Claire whispered, careful not to wake her mother, who was already asleep in the adjoining room. "You're calling late."

"Don't even pretend you were asleep. I know you." Emily's voice carried that same energetic warmth that had first drawn Claire to her. "You're probably up there, thinking too much, listening to your ceiling fan and writing stories in your head."

Claire chuckled softly. "You're not wrong."

"Of course I'm not. I've missed you."

"I miss you too," Claire replied.

There was a pause on the other end. "How's the mansion?" Emily asked, her voice dropping a little, curious but cautious.

Claire exhaled, her smile fading slightly. "It's... something. Big. Cold. Quiet. Too many rules you can't see but you're expected to know."

Emily clicked her tongue. "Sounds suffocating."

"It kind of is," Claire admitted. "Everyone moves like they're on stage. It's all appearance and manners. And there's this... weird tension I can't quite name."

"Is it the family?" Emily asked. "Are they horrible?"

Claire hesitated. "Not exactly. It's more like... I don't exist in the same world as them. I'm here, but not part of anything. Like a shadow."

"Ugh, I hate that." Emily sighed. "They better not be stressing my Claire. Want me to come over and fight somebody?"

Claire smiled. "You wouldn't last two minutes here without insulting someone."

"I know. And proudly."

They both laughed, the sound easing something heavy in Claire's chest.

"So," Emily said, her tone shifting again, teasing now. "Tell me. Any cute rich sons in that mansion?"

Claire froze briefly. Images flickered through her mind-Adrian's cold stare, his silence, the day she'd found him bleeding. And then, just like that, she shut it down.

"Not really," she said quickly. "Nothing like that."

"Hmm. That's not convincing."

Claire rolled her eyes, but her voice was still light. "There's no one, Em. They're not the friendly type."

"Well, if I were there, they'd talk," Emily said dramatically. "I'd break that cold boy syndrome with just one of my fried plantain jokes."

Claire burst out laughing. "You're ridiculous."

"But you love me."

"I do."

There was a softer silence now. A good one. One that stretched comfortably between people who knew each other deeply.

"Hey," Emily said after a moment, her voice gentle. "You sound different."

Claire blinked. "Different how?"

"Quieter. Like you're folding into yourself a bit."

Claire didn't answer at first. Then she whispered, "It's easy to disappear here. I've never felt so invisible in my life."

Emily was quiet for a beat, then replied, "That's not who you are. You're the girl who made me believe in friendship again. The girl who called out a lecturer for grading unfairly even when her voice shook."

Claire closed her eyes.

"You're allowed to feel out of place," Emily continued. "But don't shrink, Claire. You're not meant for the shadows. You hear?"

Claire swallowed the lump in her throat. "Yeah. I hear."

"Good." Then, more lightly: "Now go to sleep before I charge you for therapy."

Claire laughed softly. "Thanks, Em."

"Anytime. I'll call you later."

After the call ended, Claire lay in the dark for a long time, staring at the ceiling once more. But this time, something felt different.

Emily's voice echoed in her mind, louder than the silence.