Chapter 6: Ordinary Work
The days returned to their usual shape, which was both a relief and a strange kind of pressure.
I cleaned the same rooms, followed the same schedule, and answered the same practical questions from staff. No one mentioned the necklace. No one asked about the bruise that had already faded. The silence was intentional and mostly kind. It still left a thin gap between me and the easy trust I had moved through the house with before.
May you like
Daniel passed me in the upper corridor one afternoon and asked whether the police had requested anything further. I told him they had not. He nodded and said the household would cooperate with any record they needed. The conversation lasted less than a minute. It was enough to confirm that the matter remained closed on his side.
I stopped leaving my bag in the open during events. The change was small and permanent.
