It was a little after seven in the morning when the ground-floor patio slowly began to come alive.
Morning sunlight spilled across the sprawling Hastings estate, turning the dew-covered gardens into fields of gold. The fountains shimmered beneath the early light while soft birdsong drifted through the estate grounds.
The air smelled of fresh coffee.
Warm pastries.
Butter.
Fresh fruit.
And the rich scent of breakfast that had already been arranged across the enormous circular table positioned beneath the covered patio.
Silver serving trays gleamed beneath the sunlight.
Fresh flowers decorated the center.
Several staff members moved quietly in the background before disappearing again once everything had been prepared.
The estate itself felt peaceful.
Almost deceptively peaceful.
Because inside the family gathering, several very different thoughts were already unfolding.
Eleanor arrived first.
As always.
Elegant.
Perfectly dressed.
Perfectly composed.
Perfectly beautiful.
The cream-colored dress she wore looked effortless, while her auburn hair fell neatly over one shoulder.
She sat beside the empty chair reserved for Ivan and accepted a cup of coffee from one of the staff members.
A small smile remained on her face.
Yet her eyes kept drifting toward the mansion doors.
Waiting.
Expecting.
Watching.
A few minutes later Ivan arrived.
His entire demeanor softened the moment he saw her.
As though she alone could calm him.
He leaned down and kissed her cheek before taking the seat beside her.
Immediately reaching for her hand.
Immediately intertwining their fingers.
Eleanor smiled.
This time genuinely.
At least for a moment.
Then the mansion doors opened again.
Olga appeared first.
Followed closely by Roman.
"Good morning," Olga greeted pleasantly.
"Good morning, Mother."
Eleanor rose gracefully to greet her.
Air kisses.
Pleasant smiles.
Perfect manners.
Exactly as expected.
Roman nodded politely before taking his seat.
His gaze naturally drifted toward Olga.
And remained there.
As usual.
A few minutes later Julia and Gregory appeared together.
Julia looked effortlessly glamorous despite the early hour.
"Eleanor, darling."
"Aunt Julia."
The two exchanged greetings warmly.
Gregory offered a somewhat awkward smile.
Eleanor returned it with practiced ease.
Soon Andrei joined them as well.
"Good morning, Sister-in-law."
"Good morning, Andrei."
Eleanor smiled sweetly.
"I hope you slept well."
Andrei laughed.
"I did."
Then immediately sat down and resumed whatever game currently occupied his phone.
The table gradually filled.
Conversation drifted comfortably between family members.
Coffee cups were refilled.
Pastries disappeared.
Soft laughter occasionally broke out.
Yet despite all of it—
Eleanor's attention kept wandering.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Toward the mansion.
Toward the glass doors.
Waiting.
Expecting.
Watching.
Nothing.
No Maya.
No Rege.
Her smile remained intact.
But disappointment slowly began creeping beneath it.
Fifteen minutes passed.
Then finally—
The doors opened.
Eleanor straightened almost immediately.
Only to watch Nadia walk through first.
Followed by Maxim.
Followed by Nikolai.
The disappointment hit instantly.
Sharp.
Annoying.
Unwelcome.
Yet not a single trace of it appeared on her face.
"Good morning, everyone," Nadia greeted.
Maxim nodded.
Nikolai muttered something resembling a greeting.
The three took their seats.
Olga smiled warmly.
"Wonderful."
She reached for her napkin.
"Now that we're all here—"
"We're not."
Eleanor's voice remained pleasant.
Gentle.
Almost innocent.
The interruption caused several heads to turn.
Eleanor glanced toward the mansion doors again.
Then smiled sweetly.
"I'm sure Maya doesn't know breakfast starts at seven."
The words sounded harmless.
Concerned even.
But Nadia immediately recognized what sat beneath them.
So did Nikolai.
So did Maxim.
And none of them particularly liked it.
Ivan's thumb brushed lightly across Eleanor's hand beneath the table.
A silent reassurance.
A silent warning.
Perhaps both.
Eleanor offered him a tiny smile.
Then looked back toward Olga.
Before Nadia could respond—
Olga laughed.
"Oh, leave them alone."
Her smile widened.
"I'm sure they had a very long night."
The words landed instantly.
Several reactions occurred simultaneously.
Julia nearly choked on her coffee.
Gregory lowered his head.
Andrei finally looked up from his phone.
Nadia rolled her eyes so dramatically it was almost impressive.
Maxim's jaw tightened.
Nikolai's jaw tightened even more.
Roman quietly stared at his plate.
Meanwhile Eleanor's smile remained flawless.
Perfect.
Elegant.
Controlled.
Only the tiny twitch near her jaw revealed the truth.
The comment had landed exactly where Olga intended.
And Eleanor hated it.
Because for the first time since arriving at the estate—
She couldn't stop imagining what everyone else was imagining.
Upstairs.
Together.
Still asleep.
The thought settled heavily inside her chest.
And despite all her effort—
The bitterness lingered.
Gregory quickly cleared his throat.
Perhaps sensing the direction everyone's thoughts had taken.
"I think we should pray before breakfast gets cold."
The suggestion earned immediate agreement.
Everyone bowed their heads.
Hands folded.
Eyes closed.
Yet while Gregory led the prayer—
Eleanor's thoughts drifted once more toward the mansion doors.
Waiting.
Watching.
Wondering when Maya and Rege would finally appear.
And whether they would arrive looking exactly like two people who had fallen asleep in each other's arms.
Breakfast dissolved gradually.
Coffee cups emptied.
Conversations ended.
Chairs scraped softly against stone flooring as family members drifted toward their own plans for the morning.
The patio that had felt crowded only minutes ago slowly returned to silence.
Olga disappeared toward the gardens with Julia.
Gregory followed shortly afterward.
Roman left beside Olga without seeming aware of anything beyond her presence.
Andrei resumed whatever game currently occupied his attention while wandering back inside the mansion.
Ivan excused himself for work.
Within minutes, the bustling family breakfast had vanished completely.
Only sunlight remained.
And Eleanor.
She stood near one of the archways overlooking the gardens.
Watching.
Waiting.
Trying not to look toward the staircase.
Trying and failing.
Because no matter how many times she reminded herself that it no longer mattered—
It still did.
Her feet carried her back inside before she consciously decided to move.
The mansion felt unusually quiet.
Morning sunlight filtered through the enormous windows, illuminating polished marble floors and expensive artwork lining the walls.
The silence should have felt peaceful.
Instead it felt unbearable.
Without realizing it, Eleanor found herself standing outside Rege's wing.
Outside his bedroom.
She stopped.
Immediately.
The realization made her chest tighten.
What was she doing?
She wasn't here to knock.
She wasn't here to interrupt.
She wasn't here for anything at all.
Yet she couldn't leave.
Her gaze lingered on the closed door.
Behind it was everything she had spent years pretending she didn't want.
And somehow that knowledge hurt more than she expected.
The hallway remained empty.
Still.
Quiet.
The only sound came from distant staff moving somewhere downstairs.
Then footsteps approached.
Eleanor immediately straightened.
Her practiced smile returned before the person even appeared.
Nadia rounded the corner carrying a cup of coffee.
She slowed the moment she saw Eleanor standing there.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"What are you doing here?"
The question wasn't rude.
But it wasn't friendly either.
For a second Eleanor felt strangely exposed.
As though she'd been caught doing something embarrassing.
Something weak.
Yet her smile never wavered.
"Nadia."
Her voice remained perfectly pleasant.
"I was actually heading to Maya's room to check on her."
The lie came effortlessly.
Years of practice made it easy.
Nadia stared.
Unimpressed.
"Maya is staying with Rege."
The statement landed heavily.
"I thought as lady of the house you'd know that."
Something twisted painfully inside Eleanor's chest.
Still she smiled.
Still she remained composed.
"I had a room prepared for her yesterday."
Her voice remained light.
"I assumed she stayed there."
Nadia looked at her for a long moment.
The silence stretched.
Then she sighed.
A little dramatically.
"Well."
She adjusted her grip on the coffee cup.
"Maya won't be needing that room."
Her gaze drifted briefly toward Rege's door.
"She's staying with Rege."
The words shouldn't have hurt.
They did anyway.
Because hearing it spoken aloud somehow made everything more real.
More permanent.
More impossible to ignore.
Nadia continued.
"So run along."
A faint smirk tugged at her lips.
"I don't want our conversation waking them up."
The image appeared instantly.
Rege and Maya asleep together.
Wrapped around each other.
Peaceful.
Happy.
Loved.
Eleanor felt something crack.
Tiny.
Invisible.
But devastating.
Still—
She smiled.
"Of course."
Her voice remained flawless.
"I'll be on my way."
Then softer:
"Have a lovely day, Nadia."
Nadia nodded.
Eleanor turned gracefully and walked away.
Every step measured.
Controlled.
Elegant.
Only when she reached the end of the hallway did she allow herself one final glance backward.
Toward the closed bedroom door.
Toward the life that would never belong to her.
Then she walked away.
By the time Eleanor reached her bedroom, the effort of holding herself together felt exhausting.
The door closed quietly behind her.
Silence immediately filled the room.
The large suite was beautiful.
Luxurious.
Perfect.
Yet suddenly it felt suffocating.
Eleanor crossed the room without removing her shoes.
Without fixing her hair.
Without doing any of the things she normally did.
She walked directly into the bathroom.
The bright marble seemed almost harsh beneath the morning light.
She approached the sink.
Turned on the faucet.
Cold water rushed over her hands.
Then over her face.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
As though she could wash away whatever this feeling was.
Slowly she lifted her head.
And stared at herself in the mirror.
The reflection staring back looked perfect.
Hair perfect.
Makeup perfect.
Dress perfect.
Smile—
No.
The smile was gone.
She tried anyway.
A small smile.
The one everyone expected.
The one she'd worn all morning.
Nothing happened.
Her lips trembled instead.
Eleanor swallowed hard.
"No."
The word escaped quietly.
Almost pleadingly.
She tried again.
Another smile.
Another failure.
The tears arrived before she realized she was crying.
One slipped down her cheek.
Then another.
Then another.
Hot.
Unwanted.
Humiliating.
She pressed her lips together.
Trying desperately to stop.
Trying to regain control.
But the truth had already broken through.
Because she was tired.
So unbelievably tired.
Tired of pretending she wasn't disappointed.
Tired of pretending she hadn't hoped.
Tired of pretending it didn't hurt.
A broken sound escaped her throat.
She immediately covered her mouth.
Desperate to silence it.
The sob that followed felt almost violent.
Years of carefully controlled emotions finally finding a crack.
Her shoulders shook.
Another sob followed.
Then another.
And for several minutes Eleanor stood alone in the enormous marble bathroom crying for something she had never truly possessed.
Not Rege.
Not even his love.
The possibility.
The dream.
The future she had quietly imagined and never allowed herself to name.
Eventually the tears slowed.
Then stopped.
Silence returned.
Only the sound of running water remained.
Eleanor stared at her reflection again.
Her eyes were red.
Her mascara slightly smudged.
Her composure shattered.
For a long moment she simply stood there.
Breathing.
Recovering.
Then the version of Eleanor everyone knew slowly returned.
She reached for a towel.
Carefully dried her face.
Touched up her makeup.
Adjusted her hair.
Straightened her dress.
By the time she finished, almost no trace remained.
Almost.
Her smile returned.
Practiced.
Elegant.
Beautiful.
The kind of smile that convinced everyone she was perfectly fine.
Then Eleanor opened the bathroom door.
Lifted her chin.
And stepped back into the world.
Carrying her heartbreak quietly.
Exactly the way she always had.