Sadie hadn't brought it up.
Not that night. Not the next morning either.
But Scarlett could feel it—that shift in the air. Like a curtain had been pulled back and something unspoken was now out in the open, even if no one had said a word.
She woke before sunrise. Got dressed in silence. Was in the studio before anyone else arrived. Her body moved on autopilot—folding, pinning, organizing accessories, adjusting details on the final look like nothing had happened.
Like she hadn't nearly lost herself on the balcony last night. Like Sadie hadn't walked in at the exact second she'd felt Brian's breath near her mouth.
Everything was the same.
But she wasn't.
Sadie entered the studio just past seven-thirty, her curls pulled back in a low bun and a coffee in each hand.
"Thought you might've already been in here," she said, holding one cup out.
Scarlett took it with a quiet nod. "Thanks."
Sadie didn't ask anything. She didn't need to.
She simply sat at the second workstation and started checking off the departure list Camille had sent the night before.
The silence between them wasn't awkward. It was careful.
Camille arrived in full motion.
Hair brushed smooth, lips glossed, and a cream robe tied at the waist. She held her phone in one hand and a slice of toast in the other.
"Morning, morning!" she said cheerfully. "How's my dream team?"
Sadie lifted a hand in greeting. "Surviving."
Scarlett stayed focused on the mannequin. "We're almost there."
Camille glanced around, impressed by how much was already packed and labeled. "You two are actual machines."
Then she glanced at her phone screen and paused.
"Oh—okay," she added. "Heads up. The driver just texted. He's twenty minutes out."
Sadie groaned. "Why do I feel like I'm not ready?"
"You're not," Camille teased. "But I am."
Scarlett's spine stiffened. Twenty minutes.
That was it.
They moved quickly, wrapping up final items, sealing garment bags, folding backup fabrics into travel-safe boxes. Camille disappeared to finish her makeup. Sadie worked through the logistics with quiet focus.
Scarlett was on her knees tying a final ribbon when Sadie knelt beside her.
"You good?" Sadie asked quietly.
Scarlett nodded.
"You sure?"
Another nod.
Sadie studied her for a second. Then: "Why don't you step out for a breath? You've done enough. We'll close this out."
Scarlett hesitated.
Then she nodded.
"Okay."
She wiped her hands on a cloth, set the final ribbon in place, and stepped out of the studio doors.
The morning air was warm and sweet. The estate grounds were quiet, the kind of quiet that made everything else louder—her thoughts, her heartbeat, her memories of the night before.
Scarlett walked toward the edge of the lawn, past the hedges and the stone path, toward the back field that overlooked the stables.
She didn't expect anyone to follow.
But someone did.
She heard his footsteps before she turned.
Brian stood just a few feet behind her, hands in his pockets, same calm posture that had always unnerved her.
"I figured you'd be out here," he said.
Scarlett didn't respond.
"I wasn't trying to corner you last night," he added.
"I know," she said quietly.
He stepped closer—not close enough to invade her space, but enough to close some distance.
"You've been quiet."
Scarlett kept her eyes on the horizon. "What do you want me to say?"
"I don't want anything from you," he said. "I just want to understand."
She turned to him finally. "There's nothing to understand."
"There is," he said. "You just don't want to say it."
Scarlett shook her head, half laughing without humor. "Say what? That I felt something? That I don't know why? That I wish I hadn't?"
Brian's jaw tightened, but he didn't move.
"This was never supposed to happen," she added. "I came here to do a job."
"I know."
"You're Camille's fiancé."
"I know that too."
She took a step back. "Then why do you keep looking at me like this?"
He didn't answer right away.
"I don't have a reason," he said. "I just do."
Scarlett's breath hitched.
And then—
"I don't want this," she said, voice low. "Whatever this is—I don't want it."
Brian didn't argue.
He just stood there, still watching her.
But he didn't chase her when she turned to walk away.
By the time Scarlett returned to the house, everything was packed.
Sadie handed a final checklist to the driver.
Camille stood by the door with her sunglasses on, her overnight bag already in hand.
"There you are," she said. "I was starting to think we'd lost you."
Scarlett gave a soft smile. "Just needed air."
Camille didn't push.
They loaded into the car—Sadie up front, Camille in the back, Scarlett sliding in last.
The estate shrank behind them as the driver pulled away, the winding road curling into distance like it never wanted to be found again.
Scarlett didn't look back.
But something stayed with her.
A glance. A breath. A question she couldn't shake.
She had left the estate behind.
But she hadn't left everything there.