And stopped.
Not surprised.
Assessing.
Slowly, her eyes moved from my face to my hands… and then to the ring.
Recognition.
Followed by something colder.
“Well,” she said. “That didn’t take long.”
I didn’t speak.
One of the men laughed under his breath. “You actually did it.”
Rick didn’t react.
“Good morning, Elena,” he said evenly.
So that was her name.
Elena stepped further into the room, heels clicking against the floor like punctuation.
“You got married,” she said, like she was testing the words for flaws. “Without telling anyone.”
“I didn’t think I needed permission.”
“No,” she replied. “Just secrecy.”
There was history there.
Sharp, unfinished.
Rick gestured slightly toward me.
“This is my wife.”
Not hesitation.
Not explanation.
Just fact.
All three of them looked at me again.
This time, differently.
Not like I was invisible.
Like I was a problem.
“Your wife,” Elena repeated. “Or your solution?”
I felt that land… even if I didn’t fully understand it.
Rick’s voice stayed calm.
“Be careful with your tone.”
She smiled slightly.
