The morning after, Monique returned to the orphanage, and true to her expectations, Riley was already there.
The sun had barely risen above the rooftops, its pale light spilling across the worn courtyard and bathing the orphanage in a quiet, almost fragile calm.
Children's laughter had yet to fill the air, and the place felt momentarily suspended between night and day.
In the middle of it all stood Riley, sleeves rolled up, hair slightly disheveled, already deep into work as if rest were a luxury he rarely allowed himself.
"Ohhh… you're here. Good morning, Monique," Riley said casually when he noticed her, sparing only a brief glance before turning back to the wall in front of him.
The days he had spent with the duchess had long since erased the stiff formalities that once defined their interactions.
Now, he spoke to her as he would to anyone else who had become a familiar presence in his life.
