Instead, she thanked him.
And he looked at her as though her gratitude mattered more than she knew.
Over the following weeks, Elena began rebuilding her life.
She moved into a small apartment rented through an independent legal arrangement, paid for with money that was hers to use. She enrolled in a business course she had abandoned years earlier and began meeting regularly with her father’s former accountant.
Matthew never demanded that she stay with him.
He never asked her to explain every frightened reaction or to prove that she was grateful.
When she needed advice, he offered it. When she wanted to make a decision alone, he respected it.
Their conversations gradually changed.
They began discussing books, music, and the places they wanted to visit. Matthew discovered that Elena had a sharp sense of humor hidden beneath her caution. Elena discovered that he hated being photographed, preferred quiet restaurants, and sometimes worked late because he did not know what to do with himself when the office became empty.
