The night was too long for Lynda, as she waited endlessly for it to be over. Her eyes were so dry that she could not sleep throughout the night. The message from Marcus stayed with her long after the lights went out. She did not reply. She did not delete it either. It sat in her phone like a quiet promise, heavy and dangerous, waiting for her to make a choice.

Next to her, Lukas slept easily, his breath slow and regular, untroubled, at peace in the way only people who build their lives on habit ...