Chapter 122 - 123
Dante had already turned his attention back to the book, his fingers tracing the edge of a page. Then, almost absently, he said, "Your annotations are quite good."
It was a simple and straightforward compliment. But Elodie didn’t acknowledge it.
She grabbed the hairdryer without a word and disappeared back into the bathroom, the door clicking shut behind her.
The sound of the dryer hummed through the wall as Dante sat there, the book still open in his lap, his eyes fixed on her handwriting in the margins.
They were thoughtful. Brilliant even.
He’d known she was smart. But seeing her thought process laid out like this, so raw and unfiltered, reminded him of just how much he’d underestimated her.
Or maybe forgotten.
By the time Elodie finished her skincare routine and climbed into bed, Dante was still reading. She settled on her side, her back to him, and within minutes, her breathing had evened out.
She was asleep.
Dante glanced at her, just once, then returned to the book.
He stayed up longer than he’d planned, reading her notes, following the trail of her thoughts.
And when he finally put the book down and turned off the light, he didn’t sleep right away either.