Ryder’s POV

I stayed on the phone with Evie until nearly three in the morning, our voices growing softer as exhaustion set in.

We talked about everything and nothing—her favorite movies, my worst football injuries, the way she takes her coffee, the dreams I had before everything got so complicated. It felt normal in a way nothing had felt normal in months.

When I finally hung up and made my way back to the penthouse, I found it spotless. The police tape was gone, the broken vase ...