Naomi's POV
The sunlight had shifted to something softer, more golden. That hour where everything looks like it's been dusted in honey and nostalgia. Layla sat beside me in the garden, humming a lazy tune under her breath while she scrolled through her phone. I closed my eyes for a second, the scent of blooming lavender brushing against me like a lullaby.
That peace? It felt rare. Like the kind of silence that wrapped you up instead of drowning you.
"Hey," I said softly.
"Hmm?"
I tilted my head toward the path ahead, where a tall figure moved with quiet steps. Like he didn’t belong in sunlight but tolerated it just for now.
Marcus.
His hands were in his pockets, jaw set in its usual grim line, black shirt clinging to his frame like it was trying to keep his secrets in. I watched him
