CIARA'S POV

The silence in the car pressed against my ears. Darragh's knuckles whitened slightly around the steering wheel, his gaze fixed on the asphalt unwinding before us. I turned toward the window, watching emerald pines smear into jade streaks as we sped past. The clothes he'd gotten dry for me still held warmth from the dryer.

The hotel room stood behind us now—a temporary sanctuary where time had seemed suspended. But with each mile marker we passed, reality crept closer. Choices ...