Gray’s POV

The drive back from the airport felt longer than usual. The city lights blurred past the windshield, muted through the quiet drizzle that had started not long after Aurora’s plane disappeared into the clouds.

For the first time in weeks, the passenger seat beside me was empty. But it didn’t feel like loneliness anymore.

It felt like waiting, like a pause before something permanent.

I knew, deep down, this would be the last time I would ever drive home alone. From now on, ...