Time passed in a daze. Weeks gone. Nothing cooled, not suspicion, not tension. Jake still watched her, sharp eyes on every move. Zara felt it. Some days it was worse than others, like he was waiting for her to slip. She held herself steady, but inside she knew she was walking on thin ground.

She worked beside him more now. Meetings, files, late nights. He gave her more to handle, more numbers to bury herself in. Every answer she gave, every report she placed on his desk, his silence weighed on ...