In the morning, Luke sat in the sitting room, sipping a cup of tea, his eyes fixed on the stairs as Ava descended, her hair messy and her eyes still heavy with sleep.

"Why didn't you tell me you were coming back soon?" Ava asked, her voice still husky from sleep.

Luke shrugged his shoulders. "I wanted to surprise you. But instead, you surprised me."

Ava opened her mouth to say something, but paused, her voice catching on a single word: "You..."

Luke noticed her ...