Chapter 49 Switch up
Hannah
I woke up feeling light.
Not rested exactly but more like I’d been floating somewhere pleasant and had only just drifted back into my body. My limbs felt warm, my head a little fuzzy, the kind of haze that usually came after a good night or a good dream.
For a few disoriented seconds, I smiled at the ceiling.
Then reality settled in.
I showered, letting the hot water ground me, replaying flashes of the night before without trying too hard to make sense of them. Golf. Laughter. Shopping bags. Sushi. Timothy’s rare smile. The way his voice had softened when he spoke to me. The way I’d fallen asleep in the car without realizing it.
I dressed carefully, nothing dramatic, just soft trousers and a light blouse and headed downstairs.
Timothy was already at the dining table.
That alone made me smile.
“Morning,” I said brightly, sliding into my chair. “So…did you survive carrying me like a knight in shining armor last night, or should I apologize for the inconvenience?”
I expected a smirk. Maybe a dry comment.
Instead, he barely looked up.
“Morning,” he murmured, eyes fixed on his tablet.
The word landed flat.
I hesitated, then reached for my coffee. “You know, if you’ve developed back pain, I can recommend a very good chiropractor.”
Nothing.
Just the quiet clink of his spoon against porcelain.
I frowned, stealing a glance at him over the rim of my mug. His jaw was set, expression carefully neutral. He looked…contained. Like everything had been packed away overnight.
I tried again.
“Did you sleep okay?” I asked. “Because I slept like a log. Didn’t even dream. That almost never happens.”
“I slept fine,” he replied, clipped.
Oh.
The lightness inside me dimmed a notch.
I ate a few bites in silence, the sound of cutlery suddenly loud. Every now and then, I felt his gaze flick to me only to dart away the instant I looked up.
“What’s going on?” I finally asked.
He stilled.
“I mean,” I continued carefully, “you’re different today. Not bad, just…different. Your vibes are off.”
His fingers tightened around his coffee cup.
“I’m fine, Hannah.”
“Okay, but you don’t sound fine.”
He lifted the cup and drank deeply, as if fortifying himself. When he set it down, he stood, grabbed his briefcase, and finally looked at me just not kindly.
“I said I’m fine,” he said firmly. “Don’t wait up for me at dinner.”
And then he walked out.
The door closed with a soft finality.
I sat there, fork suspended in midair, staring at the empty space he’d left behind.
Of course.
Of course the switch flipped.
I let out a slow breath, irritation curling in my chest. I’d known better than to trust the change, to believe it might stick. Timothy didn’t do consistency, not with me.
Still, the sting was there. Sharp enough to hurt.
“Idiot,” I muttered to myself, finishing my breakfast with more force than necessary.
\---
Momo fixed everything. At least a little.
Lisa led me to where he’d been kept, and the moment he saw me, his tail went wild.
“Hey, you,” I laughed, crouching as he stumbled toward me. “Did you miss me, huh?”
He yipped and pawed at my leg, and just like that, my chest loosened.
I scooped him up and pressed my face into his fur. “You’re the only man in this house with manners.”
Upstairs, I enlisted one of the guards to help assemble the ridiculous amount of pet things I’d bought the night before. We set up his little bed, lined it with blankets, arranged his toys.
When I slipped his collar on, he wiggled proudly.
“There,” I said, fastening it. “Handsome.”
By the time we were done, my mood had shifted from hurt to restless.
“I want to go out,” I announced.
The guards exchanged a look. “Ma’am, today isn’t one of your scheduled…”
“I know,” I cut in, sharper than I intended. “I just want to see Sienna.”
Silence. “Ma’am…we aren’t sure…”
“Oh, I wasn’t aware I have to ask for permission like a fucking child whenever I want to go anywhere!”
“Of course not. I didn’t mean to imply…”
“Well you sure did imply. I want to leave the house and I will, with or without you all, so help me God.” I glared at them with embers in my eyes.
The guards exchanged wary and indecisive glances. Then a sigh. “Yes ma’am. We’ll prepare the car.”
Good.
I harrumphed and grabbed Momo and headed out, his nose poking eagerly out the window as we drove.
Whatever Timothy was doing, I wasn’t going to sit around waiting for him to decide how to treat me today.
Not anymore.