He looked at the phone again.
Not just a quick glance this time, but a longer one, like if he stared hard enough the words would rearrange themselves into something less unsettling.
Sylvie shifted beside him, just slightly. She glanced at him, noticed the brief tension in his shoulders, the way his attention had drifted away from the conversation. She saw the phone in his hand, the screen lighting up and dimming again, but she didn’t ask. She only turned her gaze forward once more, toward the road ahead, convincing herself it was none of her business. And maybe it really wasn’t.
Ryan’s jaw tightened as his eyes dropped back to the message.
So you really just walked away.
Unknown number.
That part alone should have meant nothing. Anonymity didn’t mean unfamiliar. Not to him.
He knew
