When the Colonel Came to the Estate

PART 2

At noon, the Pembroke estate looked exactly as it had the day before, but it no longer felt like a house prepared for celebration.

The white roses still crowded the silver vases in the sunroom, their petals beginning to curl at the edges. The crystal chandelier glittered above polished floors, and trays of untouched pastries sat beneath glass domes like evidence someone had forgotten to hide.

Outside, my father’s black sedan stopped behind Wesley’s car.

I stood in the foyer with June asleep against my chest, listening to footsteps gather beyond the carved double doors.

Wesley had offered to drive us, but I chose my own car.

It was not defiance for show. It was a boundary I needed him to see.

During the ride, he called twice, then texted once.

Please let me explain before everyone starts.

I did not answer. By then, explanations felt smaller than silence.