When Julian made his way home that day, he drove in silence, his jaw tight, his thoughts sharper than the air pressing against the glass.

Eve’s face refused to leave his mind—the calm in her eyes, the way she had spoken without fear, as though she already stood several steps ahead of him. It unsettled him more than he cared to admit.

He hated that she had walked away leaving him with questions, hated that her silence felt heavier than any insult she could have thrown. By the time he ...