Page 143 of Bound By Crimson
Good Girls Just Smile
The house felt different.
Not warm. Not safe. Just… quiet.
And for once, that was enough.
Kai had been home for two days. He hadn’t snapped. He hadn’t raised his voice.
He kissed her temple when he passed by, whispered things like “I missed this” and “You look beautiful today.”
And she soaked it up like a dying thing begging for water.
He touched her belly like it was sacred again. Like he remembered.
And she—she played the role.
Smiling when she felt hollow.
Laughing when her chest still ached.
Nodding when he spoke, pretending she didn’t hear the flatness in his voice.
But she noticed it.
She noticed everything.
The way he kissed her lips but didn’t linger.
The way he laughed, but not in his eyes.
The way he never quite looked at her the way he used to—not like she was the only thing in the room, not like he needed her.
Still, she told herself it was fine.
It had to be. He was home. He was trying. This was what trying looked like… right?
They sat at the dinner table with Mrs. Thornwick like they were a family. A perfect one.
Candlelight danced off silverware. The roast was seasoned well. The table was quiet. Too quiet.
Lyric sat with her back straight, hands folded politely in her lap like she was auditioning for her place in their world.
Kai reached for her hand under the table, his fingers brushing hers.
“See?” he said softly, eyes locked on hers. “This wasn’t so hard.”
She smiled.
Even though her cheeks ached from holding it.
Even though she could feel the weight of Mrs. Thornwick’s gaze like a hook twisting between her ribs.
“I’ve never seen her so well-behaved,” the woman said, sipping tea with a glint in her eye.
It was almost… amusement.
Lyric kept smiling.
