"I know a black clinic," Dominic replied, his tone low and shadowed, as if even speaking about it required caution. "They specialize in deprogramming people with… unusual body types."
"Deprogramming?" Celeste tilted her head slightly, her brows knitting in innocent curiosity, as though she were asking about something harmless.
Dominic's gaze flickered briefly in my direction before he lowered his voice even further.
"We'll talk about it later."
A thick silence followed, pressing down on the room. The kind of silence that lived inside the walls of the Bellandi estate, where even the guards outside the door knew when to stop breathing. It lingered, uncomfortable and heavy, until Celeste suddenly broke it, her tone turning light again, almost playful.
"Is this mango fresh?"
The shift was so abrupt it felt unreal.
As I stepped out of the room, my movements slow and steady despite the weakness still clinging to my body, she walked toward me, holding the fruit out with a soft, sweet smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Her smile appeared half a beat too quickly, then vanished just as fast when she remembered she was supposed to look concerned.