She was buying it to remind herself that she still believed in love even if it hurt. Even if it was quiet. Even if it was only hers.

But he went silent,the room was suffocating, heavy like a storm cloud pressing against glass. Michael Helwart stood rigid by the tall window, his broad shoulders hunched forward just slightly, a subtle tell of the pressure in his chest. His face was a mask of stone, but the tight clench of his jaw betrayed the torrent beneath the surface. The ...