The distance from the gates to the main entrance was short—no more than a few hundred meters—but it took her nearly half an hour to cross it. Every step felt like walking through fire.
When she finally reached the door, she reached instinctively for her keys.
Her hand came up empty.
She froze.
Then she knocked.
It took a while before the door opened.
Nathanie stood there, his expression already edged with irritation.
“Where are your keys?” he asked sharply. “Why do you keep knocking instead of letting yourself in?”
Adriana didn’t answer immediately. She stepped inside slowly, the pain in her ankle forcing her to move with care.
Only when she reached the living room did she set down her bag and retrieve her keyring.
“My spare key?” she said calmly. “You removed it last week to give to Olivia. Don’t you remember?”
His brows knit together as the memory surfaced. The annoyance faded slightly, replaced by a trace of awkwardness.
“I’ve been overwhelmed lately,” he replied. “You could’ve just made another copy. You have time for that sort of thing.”
Adriana offered a small smile, one that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
She had long ago stopped expecting fairness.