Fadel’s POV

I could not name the feeling, only that it lodged itself beneath my ribs and refused to leave. The call with Winter replayed in my mind long after the screen went dark. Her voice had been softer than usual, thinner somehow, like it had traveled a long distance to reach me.

She had not argued. She had not bristled. When I pulled her close later, she did not stiffen the way she always did. She stepped into me instead, arms wrapping around my waist, her cheek resting against my chest ...