The two weeks in Toronto ended the same way they had begun, with Brianna pretending she felt nothing. She packed quietly that morning, folding her clothes with careful hands, forcing her thoughts into stillness. The room smelled of expensive cologne and winter air. His notebooks, his cufflinks, his untouched espresso still sat on the desk.
A life she entered only in the shadows. A life she no longer wished to orbit.
Her coat hung over her arm as she walked through the suite. Outside the bedroom, Jordan’s voice drifted softly from the half-open door. She did not intend to eavesdrop. Yet the moment she heard the tone he used, warmer than anything he had offered her lately, she paused.
“Yes, Mother. I understand. I will meet with the board once I land.”
A quiet hum of agreement. Then,
“J
