Lunch was quieter than usual.

They sat across from each other, the clinking of cutlery filling the space between them until Simon finally sighed and set his fork down.

“There’s something I need to clear up,” he said.

Serena looked up, attentive but calm. “Okay.”

He rubbed the back of his neck. “What’s going on with Anna… it didn’t start the way people might think. There was a night. A mistake. I wasn’t thinking clearly, and it happened.”

Serena’s expression didn’t change. She simply nodded, encouraging him to continue.

“After that,” Simon went on, “she started getting closer. Calling. Showing up. Acting like it meant more than it did.” His...