The house had fallen into one of those evening silences that came only after a long day under the sun. Angelica was already asleep in the nursery when Bette walked past her room to check on her.  When she pushed further through the house, she found Tina standing by the open kitchen window, nursing a cup of chamomile tea, watching the sky burn itself out in streaks of violet and orange.

She entered the space, heading for the sink where she washed her hands without a word, her movements precise, almost absent. Tina turned from her idyllic natural picture frame and watched her wife. She could see it in the brunette’s face, the wheels turning, the tension wound just beneath her skin.

“You’ve been somewhere else all afternoon,” Tina said gently, moving toward her.

Bette dried her hands, pressing the towel to her palms, holding it there for a moment longer than necessary as if the simple weight of the cloth could steady her thoughts.

“I never thought, waking up this morning, that the day would turn out like this,” she said quietly. She let out a breath, the weight of it still settling on her shoulders. “Nyah didn’t just bring news , she laid out the kind of warning you don’t ignore.”

Her eyes found Tina’s, steady but shadowed with concern. “We’ve got a lot to figure out. And not much time to do it.”

Tina set down her mug, her stomach tightening. “So, what are you thinking?”

Bette hesitated, walking to the window and resting her hands on the frame, her gaze on the darkening horizon. “Chang is sure to act. Either to clean house, or to silence Joseph and make an example for others. I’m trying to find a way to turn that against him.”

Tina’s brow furrowed, watching the weight settle on Bette’s shoulders. “Bette… you can’t put yourself alone in the middle of this.”

“I’m already in the middle of it.” The words came quickly, but without apology. She turned her head slightly, offering Tina the barest hint of a smile. “But I’m not thinking about doing it alone. We could use Joseph’s arrest. Let Chang think his world is already unravelling.”

Tina walked toward her, resting a hand on Bette’s back, feeling the tension in those strong shoulders. “You have to promise me you’ll be careful.”