Chapter 38
The image of Leo and Serenity, a quiet, intimate tableau framed by the amber glow of a restaurant, seared itself into Evan’s mind, unyielding and obstructive. Though Leo had characterized it as nothing more than a perfunctory, penitent meal, Evan saw it through a lens distorted by his own unraveling reality. He knew, with the logical, rational part of his brain, that Leo wasn't the type to do him dirty or opportunistically swoop in to claim a woman Evan had been fixated on. Yet, the sting remained. It wasn’t just the fear of being usurped that clawed at him; it was the suffocating, sudden realization of his own hypocrisy. What right did he have to stake any claim on Serenity at all?
The night stretched out, long and unforgiving, as Evan lay on Leo’s leather sofa—a makeshift be
