The storm outside did not pass; it simply settled into a low, rhythmic drumming against the triple-paned glass, a steady background frequency to the absolute silence that returned to the master suite. The air conditioning had finally normalized, bringing the room down to a crisp, freezing sixty-four degrees that pricked at Elena’s skin as she sat wrapped in a heavy charcoal silk robe at the edge of the massive platform bed.
Ethan was gone from the immediate space, though the faint scent of his cedarwood cologne and the lingering warmth on the sheets beside her were physical reminders of the boundary that had just been permanently razed.
Elena pulled her knees to her chest, her hazel eyes tracking the dim amber light of the digital clock on the nightstand: 2:14 AM. Her left hand felt incr
