There was no answer.
Olivia’s knuckles hovered mid-air before she knocked again, this time louder and firmer. “Mr. Christopher?” she called, her voice carrying a thread of hope and desperation.
Still nothing.
She was just about to turn away when the heavy door creaked open. And there he was.
His shirt sleeves were rolled up, his hair slightly tousled, but his expression was what stole the breath from her lungs.
Hard. Cold. Distant.
Her lips parted to speak, but for a second, no words came.
“I—I just wanted to—”
“Are you deaf or just stupid?” he snapped, voice cutting through her like a blade. “I said I didn’t want to be disturbed. Why is that so hard to understand?”
Olivia froze. The warmth she’d felt earlier, the hope of finally getting to speak with him, to tell him what had hap
