It had been a while since someone had asked her that, and Esme was caught off guard. For a moment, she just stared at him, surprised. He wasn't one to ask questions like this, and the effort he made to say something felt clumsy, like it didn't quite fit.
Esme quickly recovered, her practiced smile widening as she tried to brush it off. "Of course I'm okay," she said, her tone too bright, too polished, as if saying it out loud would make it true.
Ryan didn't say anything else. He just kept looking at her, his face not giving much away, but his silence saying more than his words.
As soon as Esme and Ryan entered the house, the sound of a child crying echoed down the hallway. Esme, used to the usual quiet of the mansion, paused for a moment, surprised by the noise. Then it hit her—there was a new member in the house now. Ryan, still trying to piece together what was happening, glanced at Esme. Before he could say anything, she rushed forward, her steps quick and determined.
