Adrian POV
I wake before the sun.
Not because of alarms.
Not because of meetings.
Because the space beside me is empty.
For a moment, I don’t move.
The ceiling above the bed fades slowly from darkness into a pale gray as dawn begins pushing through the glass walls of the penthouse. The city is still quiet at this hour. Traffic hasn’t started yet. The financial district sleeps for a few more minutes before numbers begin deciding people’s futures.
Normally I would already be in the gym or reviewing overnight reports.
Instead, I am lying still, aware of something unfamiliar.
Absence.
Lydia is not in bed.
The sheets on her side are cold.
Which means she has been awake for a while.
That realization settles into my mind before I can dismiss it.
I sit up.
The bedroom feels larger t
