The hum of the car engine was the only sound as Tyler and Nicole drove in silence toward his grandfather’s estate.
Nicole’s fingers fidgeted in her lap, her mind racing. This wasn't the first family event she’d attended since the contract marriage, but she could already feel the typical strain tightening around her chest.
Tyler hadn’t said anything on the way, his attention focused on his phone.
She glanced over at him, catching the instant he received a message. His eyes flicked to the TV, and for a second, his countenance relaxed.
Relief washed across his features, but it was gone as fast as it emerged, replaced by the same inscrutable mask he usually wore. He slid the phone back into his pocket without a word.
Whatever it was, he wasn’t sharing it with her.
As they pulled up
