Cook's voice drifted up from the bottom of the stairwell, cutting through the tense atmosphere. "Dinner's ready. Ver's already headed down. What are you two doing up there? Co eat."
Nate jerked from his thoughts, blinking rapidly. "Right, we're coming."
Cullen rose from his chair without a word.
When they reached the living room, Sabrina was nestled against Veronica on the sofa, chattering away with animated gestures. Veronica sat perfectly still, her attention seemingly focused on every word that spilled from her daughter's lips.
The picture they painted was one of maternal devotion and childish joy.
Yet as Nate observed the scene, sothing twisted in his chest. The mory of Veronica signing away her parental rights without so much as a fight made the tender mont feel like an elaborate performance.
Cook remained blissfully ignorant of the divorce proceedings. Her face lit up as she called toward the sofa. "Ver, Sa, ti for dinner."
Both voices responded in perfect harmony. "Coming."
Sabrina's small fingers wrapped around Veronica's hand, tugging her toward the dining room with unbridled enthusiasm.
Nate trailed behind, his expression unreadable. Since he was already committed to staying, he claid the seat next to Cullen. Veronica settled beside Sabrina across the table.
Cook's eyes crinkled with genuine pleasure. "Nate, you haven't visited in ages. The mont I spotted you earlier, I had the cook add those lamb chops and garlic potatoes you love. Make sure you eat your fill tonight."
Nate forced his most charming smile. "You know too well, Grandma. I'm going to devour everything on this table."
Cook's laughter filled the dining room. "That's what I like to hear."
anwhile, Veronica was thodically selecting pieces of food for Sabrina's plate, her movents precise as she removed tiny bones from the fish with surgical care.
At first glance, the scene appeared utterly normal.
But Nate found himself studying her more intently.
When Veronica caught him staring, her gaze t his with arctic coldness. The look made him stiffen in his chair.
He rembered how things used to be. Because of his tight friendship with Cullen and Marco, Veronica had always made efforts to connect with them. They had brushed off her attempts without a second thought.
Yet she had never given up trying.
Social situations didn't co naturally to her, but she persisted anyway. She would greet them with genuine warmth, her voice soft and welcoming, her smiles tentative but hopeful.
Now her eyes held nothing but cool indifference, as if he were a complete stranger who ant absolutely nothing to her. That's when he noticed sothing else that made his blood run cold.
Veronica's deanor toward Sabrina had shifted too.
She still went through all the motions of maternal care. Her touch remained gentle, her attention unwavering. But the profound love that used to radiate from her every glance had vanished.
What remained was clinical detachnt.
That couldn't be genuine, could it?
Nate could rationalize her changed attitude toward him. After all, nobody would continue pursuing people who consistently rejected their overtures.
But Sabrina was her flesh and blood. How could a mother simply turn off that kind of love?
Perhaps this was just another calculated move in her playbook. Maybe she was employing the oldest strategy in the book, pulling back to make Cullen chase her, creating distance to spark his interest.
The thought made Nate shift his attention to Cullen. Sure enough, Cullen's dark eyes were fixed on Veronica with an intensity that hadn't been there before.
More telling was the fact that he made no attempt to look away when she noticed his scrutiny. The old Cullen would have averted his gaze imdiately, too proud to be caught watching.
Nate barely suppressed a knowing smirk. He should have seen this coming.
Cook's sharp voice cut through his analysis. "Nate, what exactly are you staring at?" She had been watching him observe Veronica throughout the al, and her brow was furrowed with concern.
Nate realized she had completely misread the situation and decided to feed her the explanation she wanted to hear.
"I was just noticing how unusually quiet Veronica is tonight. She's not engaging with Cullen the way she normally does. It struck as odd, so I couldn't stop watching her."
Cook's expression imdiately softened with understanding, while across the table, sothing dangerous flickered in Cullen's eyes at Nate' casual observation.
The dinner continued, but the undercurrents of tension flowed just beneath the surface of their polite conversation.
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