– Damien’s POV

The question lingered between us like a thin thread of smoke, invisible but impossible to ignore.

Clara’s voice had been soft when she asked it — so soft that it could have been mistaken for a thought spoken by accident — but the weight behind it was heavy enough to still the air in the room.

I didn’t answer right away. Silence, I’ve learned, can be more revealing than words. My gaze stayed fixed on her — not just on her eyes, but on the curve of her cheek ...