Morning light slipped through the pale curtains in Katherine’s apartnt, warm and easy, touching the steam rising off the breakfast table. The sll of toast and warm milk hung in the air. The twins talked quietly between bites, their voices mixing with the soft clink of cutlery and the hum of a slow, comfortable morning.
Katherine sat across from Maya and Nathan, a faint, private smile playing at her lips as she stirred her tea. Her mood was great, almost lightheaded, a rare kind of contentnt that had lingered since last night’s... that almost-mont with Felix. Every ti her mind drifted back to the mory of him leaning in, his expression caught between teasing and sincere, she had to fight the urge to grin outright.
Nathan was telling so half-finished story about a dream he’d had, gesturing with his fork like a tiny conductor, when the sharp chi of the doorbell sliced through the morning calm.
Katherine glanced toward the door automatically. "Hm, who could that be...?" she mused aloud, though a small, foolish hope blood in her chest. Leonard, maybe, or, if she was lucky, Felix. The thought made her chest warm.
Before she could move, Maya popped up from her chair, her dark hair bouncing as she exclaid, "I’ll get it!" Without waiting for permission, she darted toward the door, bare feet pattering against the floor.
"Maya, careful-" Katherine started, but the girl was already reaching the handle.
There was a pause, and then-
"Mommy!" Maya’s voice rose, not in excitent but in a startled, uncertain pitch.
Katherine pushed back from the table, her chair scraping softly against the floor. A flicker of unease crawled up her spine as she rounded the corner to the hallway. And then she saw.
Standing at the open doorway was not Felix. Not Leonard.
It was Lara Johanssen.
Perfectly styled as always, her hair smooth, her makeup flawless, and her smile... off. Not warm, not polite, but sharpened at the edges like a knife disguised as silk. It was the kind of smile that said I’m about to take sothing from you, and I’ll enjoy it.
Katherine froze. How the hell does she know where I live? Her eyes narrowed for just a fraction of a second before she smoothed her expression. "Maya," she said evenly, her tone calm but firm, "go sit with your brother."
Maya hesitated, glancing up at her mother, clearly reading the tension. "But-"
"Now," Katherine said, softer but no less insistent.
Maya pouted slightly but obeyed, brushing past Katherine. Nathan, who had peeked around the corner from the living room, quickly retreated when Katherine t his gaze.
Only when the children were out of earshot did Katherine face Lara fully. She straightened her spine, eting the other woman’s gaze with practiced composure. "Miss Johanssen," she greeted politely, even though unease prickled beneath her skin. "This is... unexpected."
"Oh, don’t look so tense." Lara tilted her head, still smiling. "You don’t need to invite in. I’m only here for a short ti."
Thank God, Katherine thought, though she didn’t let it show. The last thing she wanted was Lara inside her ho, within the sa walls as the twins.
"Then let’s talk here," Katherine replied evenly. She stepped out into the corridor, quietly closing the door behind her until the latch clicked.
Lara’s eyes swept over her, assessing. "You seem... comfortable," she said, her tone a mix of mock curiosity and disdain. "Enjoying yourself, are you? I wonder if it’s because you think you’ve... won."
Katherine arched an eyebrow. "Won?"
"Oh, don’t play dumb." Lara’s voice dropped lower, silk wrapping steel. "Felix. The man who should have been mine. But here you are, taking what doesn’t belong to you."
Katherine exhaled slowly through her nose, keeping her expression calm, almost bored. "Felix isn’t sothing to be owned. And if you think speaking to like this will change anything-"
"You’re jealous," Lara cut in, smirking. "I can see it in your eyes. You’re afraid because he chose you over . Afraid I might take him back."
Katherine let the jab roll off, folding her arms loosely across her chest. "No, Lara. I’m not afraid of you."
The corridor was quiet except for their voices, the muted hum of morning activity in other apartnts far away. Then, the sound of a door opening down the hall broke the tension.
Leonard’s voice ca, casual at first: "What’s going on-"
He stopped mid-sentence when he saw them. His brows lifted in faint surprise before his eyes sharpened, assessing the scene. "Am I interrupting sothing?"
"No, don’t worry," Lara said smoothly, flashing him a false-sweet smile. "We were just having a little chat."
Lara turned her gaze back to Katherine, the saccharine smile still plastered across her face, but her eyes glead with sothing aner now. "You’ve really got a talent for collecting strays, haven’t you?" she said, voice light but laced with venom. "First Felix, now him." She nodded toward Leonard, her tone laced with mock admiration. "Do you always need a man to step in and clean up your sses?"
Leonard’s gaze shifted to Katherine, catching the tension in her posture. Then his jaw hardened. "From the sound of it, I wouldn’t call it a chat."
"Oh, don’t be so dramatic-" Lara started, but Leonard stepped closer, his height and presence suddenly filling the space.
"Who the hell do you think you are," he said, his voice low and even, "to speak to her like that?" His stance was protective without being aggressive, his body angled slightly to shield Katherine from Lara’s view.
For the first ti, Lara’s smile faltered, just slightly, before she recovered it, sharper than before. "Well," she said lightly, glancing between them, "I didn’t realize you were so... invested, Mr. Whoever You Are."
"Leave," Leonard said simply.
There was a pause. Then Lara’s lips curled into sothing almost playful. She took a small step back, letting her gaze trail over him in a way that made Katherine’s stomach turn.
"I think," Lara said slowly, "you and I could be good friends."
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