The silence in the living room was heavy, thick with the scent of damp pavement drifting through the window and the lingering tension of a secret half-revealed. Gwendolyn Preston sat on the edge of the velvet sofa, her fingers trembling as she clutched her knees. The fluorescent light of the apartment seemed to strip away the last of her composure, leaving her exposed.
Her face, usually as fair as moonlight on still water, was now flushed with a deep, searing crimson. The realization that she had spent the last hour treating her only savior like a potential criminal weighed on her like a physical shroud.
"Ambrose... I..." her voice cracked, a fragile sound in the quiet room. She looked up at Ambrose Ward, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "I’m so sorry. I shouldn't have said those t
