The next morning, the Arthur house awoke in a deceptive calm.
Sunlight filtered through the light curtains, casting sharp shadows on the immaculate walls. Everything seemed peaceful, almost orderly… yet beneath this façade, tensions continued to vibrate.
Mel was the first to come downstairs. She wore a simple yet refined outfit: light-colored trousers, a flowing blouse slightly open at the collar. Nothing provocative, but everything perfectly controlled.
She poured herself a coffee, observing the house as a territory she was still learning to dominate.
Andrew joined her shortly after, still marked by fatigue but smiling.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked softly.
"Yes," she replied, offering him a tender smile. "And you?"
"Better than I expected."
He placed a discreet kiss on her temple. A simple, sincere gesture.
Mel accepted the contact without resistance. She knew Andrew was her anchor, her ally… and the key to everything else.
The children gradually came downstairs.
Henry entered first, polite as always.
"Good morning, Mel… Dad."
"Good morning, Henry," she replied warmly.
He returned a shy smile, almost grateful.
Maëllis arrived next, headphones on, her expression closed but less hostile than the day before. She simply said:
"Hi."
Mel nodded, without insisting. She knew that with Maëllis, patience would be more effective than confrontation.
Then Ethan appeared.
He looked tired, clearly having come home late. His gaze crossed Mel's… and immediately turned away. Too quickly.
She noticed it at once.
"Good morning, Ethan," she said calmly.
"Morning…" he replied, without looking at her.
Antoine entered last.
His eyes lingered on Mel longer than he intended. There was something different in his gaze: less shock, more disturbance.
He sat down in silence, but his attention was clearly focused on her.
Breakfast unfolded in a strange atmosphere.
No explosion. No conflict.
Just silences too heavy, evasive glances, thoughts that did not yet dare to be spoken.
Mel spoke little, observed a lot.
She noticed that Ethan clenched his jaw every time she laughed with Andrew.
That Antoine watched her as if trying to solve an impossible puzzle.
That Henry looked at her with silent admiration.
And that Maëllis assessed her, wary yet curious.
After breakfast, Andrew announced:
"I have a few meetings today. Mel will stay here with you."
Ethan stiffened.
"Great…" he muttered.
Andrew looked at him.
"Ethan."
"It's fine," he replied sharply.
When Andrew left the house, a new dynamic immediately settled in.
Mel did not try to impose her presence. She went to the garden, a book in hand, and sat down in the shade.
She knew that sometimes, silence was a far more effective weapon than words.
Antoine joined her a few minutes later, hesitantly.
"What are you reading?" he asked.
"An essay on power and family dynamics," she replied with a slight smile.
"Of course…" he murmured.
A silence followed.
"Antoine…" she said finally. "I know all of this is hard to understand."
"It's not just hard," he answered honestly. "It's… unsettling."
She looked at him calmly.
"You have the right to feel that way."
He frowned.
"You're not even trying to justify yourself?"
"No. Because I have nothing to prove to anyone… except perhaps to myself."
Her words unsettled him.
She was neither defensive nor arrogant. Just… confident.
From farther away, Ethan was watching the scene from the terrace.
Seeing Mel talk calmly with Antoine irritated him more than he cared to admit.
"What is she doing to him now…" he thought.
He decided to interrupt them.
"Antoine, we were supposed to go into town, right?" he called sharply.
Antoine stood up.
"Yes… let's go."
Before leaving, Antoine cast one last look at Mel.
She smiled at him. A neutral smile. Controlled.
But enough to trouble him.
When the car left the property, Mel remained alone in the garden.
She took a deep breath.
She could feel that something was changing.
The resistance wasn't disappearing… it was transforming.
Ethan was no longer just hostile.
Antoine was no longer just shocked.
And that was precisely where everything became dangerous.
That evening, when Andrew returned home, he found her peaceful, almost radiant.
"Did everything go well?" he asked.
"As well as possible," she replied simply.
He held her close, grateful.
In the shadow of the hallway, Ethan watched the scene without being seen.
His heart was beating too fast.
He looked away, frustrated, lost, unable to understand why this woman—whom he wanted to hate—was taking up so much space in his mind.
Night fell over the Arthur house, heavy with silent promises.
The lines were drawn… but already ready to be crossed.
And Mel knew it:
the real game was only just beginning.