CALLISTA’S POV

Julian stepped into the room with a calmness that only made my heart pound harder. He looked nearly as calculated as ever. His eyes met mine, but they didn’t scan lower. Not even once. A subtle breath of relief escaped my lips. He didn’t know, maybe.

“Callista,” he greeted, offering a tight-lipped smile. “I hope I didn’t wake the entire household,” he continued before we shared a kiss. Paying respect to Celeste who was now behind me, we kept it short. “I ...