"The dishes are all set. Let's eat."
Michelle pressed her lips together, then, as if compelled by some unseen force, said, "I was going to help bring the food out too… I just didn't make it in time."
"Miss Keller, there's no need to be so polite."
Lenny placed the final bowl of soup at the center of the table and offered a faint smile.
Michelle paused, surprised. It felt as though his attitude toward her had suddenly softened.
Before, every time Lenny saw her, he had been wary and on edge, his face tight with caution. He had never once spoken to her with such courtesy, much less shown initiative in making peace.
"It's you all who are being too polite. Aren't we… friends now?" Michelle dipped her head, her voice low, tinged with embarrassment.
In truth, she had never truly hated Khloe. But when someone takes the person you love, who could remain completely free of resentment?
What was done was done. Regret came too late. A severed thread could never be tied back together.
Michelle knew her obsession had long outweighed her feelings, yet her love for Nick had been sincere. Everyone denied that truth—Nick included. Only Khloe had said she believed her.
From the moment Khloe agreed to work with her, Michelle felt as though she had finally been set free. Free from the shackles of her past obsession. Free, at last, to forgive herself.
Her words left the air hanging in silence for several seconds. Heat crept across her cheeks. "What I meant was… we're partners now…"
"Of course we're friends."
Khloe blinked, then smiled.
Charlotte added cautiously, "Michelle, I didn't dare ask… When you say 'we,' do you mean only Khloe? Or does that include Lenny, Noah, and me too?"

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