~Narrator’s~

“She needs a break. A real one. Not a coffee and a back pat. Something that says breathe, not bounce back.”

Leo says it quietly as he passes Blair a handwritten note folded in thirds. She doesn’t ask questions. She just raises one brow, scans it, and nods like she already knows where to begin.

The house is unusually still for a weekday. Jennie’s voice isn’t echoing through the hallway with calls about Blue’s new pediatric schedule. There are no financial papers spread across the main table. No scent of burnt toast or rushed perfume. It’s calm. Almost too calm.

But that’s the point.

Leo walks through the west...