HAILEY’S POV

The ride back home was quiet. Too quiet.

The air inside the car felt heavy, thick with everything that hadn’t been said back at his parents’ house. I sat with my head leaning against the window, watching the world blur by. The fading sunlight painted the road gold, turning the trees and fields into something soft and dreamlike.

Santino hadn’t spoken a word since we got in. His assistant wasn’t with us this time, which made the silence even louder. Only the low hum of ...