The snow had stopped, leaving the city glittering under a pale winter sun. Emma woke to silence, the kind that pressed against the windowpanes and filled the room with a quiet expectation. Liam was already up, pacing near the window with a cup of coffee in his hands, staring out at the snow-covered streets as though he could see the world better from there.
“Morning,” she said softly, rolling out of bed.
“Morning,” he replied without turning, voice heavier than usual. There was a tension in the air that Emma hadn’t expected after yesterday’s warmth.
She followed him to the window. “You’re quiet. Something on your mind?”
Liam sighed, finally turning to face her. “It’s… hard, Emma. I know you have your work, and I want to support you. I do. But I feel like… I’m intruding sometimes.”
Emm
