Chapter 253 On My Terms

(Margaret)

The door felt heavier than usual as I raised my hand to knock on it. Thomas’ office, though rarely used by him anymore, still carried his presence.

Once, he had spent nearly all his time here while working, thinking, shutting out the world. But Lydia coming back into his life had changed things.

Now, when Thomas wasn’t at his actual office, he was with the children or Lydia. A small mercy, I supposed. At least she had given him that – time with his children, a family, a semblance of normalcy.

The children being here at the mansion, running through the halls, filling the air with laughter made things feel less empty. I’d seen the way Thomas smiled when they were near him, the way his eyes softened when he held them. It had been so long since I’d seen him that way, and I couldn’t deny that it did some good to see him happy. Small mercies, indeed.

I knocked again, this time hearing a hurried, “Yes?”

I opened the door to find Jack in the room, rummaging through the desk like a