Chapter 211

ANDREA’S POV The scent of freshly brewed coffee drifted down the hallway, rich and inviting, but it did little to soothe the tension curling in my stomach. I paused outside the kitchen on Kade’s private floor, my hand tightening around the doorframe. I could already hear Clara’s voice, soft and trembling—like a songbird nursing a broken wing. “She’s been so cold to me, Kade,” she murmured. “I understand she’s protective, but I didn’t expect to feel so…unwanted. Not after everything.” The clink of cutlery. The quiet rustle of cloth as she reached for something. And then Kade’s low reply, threaded with guilt. “She’s just…trying to make sense of everything. It’s not about you.” But it was. And he fucking knew it. I stepped into the kitchen, and their conversation cut off like a snipped thread. Clara sat at the island, swaddled in an oversized hoodie I hoped to the goddess wasn’t Kade’s, the sleeves falling over her delicate hands like she’d shrunk beneath them. A blanket was draped across