Chapter Forty-Seven
Alicia's POV
I woke before dawn. Couldn't sleep anymore. My mind wouldn't quiet. Kept replaying everything. Travis's strange behavior. Malachi's eyes on me. The impossible situation I'd trapped myself in.
I needed to do something. Anything. Couldn't just lie there drowning in my own thoughts.
So I got up. Dressed quietly. Made my way downstairs while the house was still sleeping.
The kitchen was empty. Peaceful. I moved through it on autopilot. Gathered what I needed to make tea for Pa Blackwood.
He hadn't asked for it. Didn't expect me to bring him morning tea. But I'd been doing it for two years. One of the few routines that made me feel useful in this house.
And maybe. Just maybe. Part of me hoped I'd run into Malachi in the hallway. That we'd have one of those accidental meetings that forced us to acknowledge each other.
But when I carried the tea tray upstairs, the hallways were empty. Silent. No sign of him.
