The next morning in the villa felt like the air had been sucked out of the walls.
The silence wasn't peaceful—it was strategic.
Emma sat on the patio swing, rocking gently as she scrolled through the new trending clips. One short video had gone viral overnight: a shadowy silhouette of Darius and Yuna beneath the sheets, lips locking, bodies tangled, and the word "Intimacy Confirmed?" stamped across the thumbnail.
Emma didn't need to open it. She knew what it was.
Inside, Alicia was in the kitchen making coffee with mechanical precision. Each movement was crisp, controlled. She didn't look at anyone. Especially not Darius, who had just emerged from the hallway wearing nothing but low-slung sweatpants and the kind of smug exhaustion that said yes, we did it—and it was worth it.
"Morning," he said.
No one replied.
