Serenity
I wasn’t sure how long I stood there, staring at the garden door, my breath shallow in my chest, my heart hammering against my ribcage. The words I’d just said to Luca were still hanging in the air between us, thick and suffocating. But it was the sudden appearance of Claire, standing there in the doorway, that made everything freeze.
She was smiling. But it wasn’t a warm, inviting smile. It was calculated. The kind of smile that made you feel like you were the one being analyzed under a microscope.
I blinked, my thoughts a blur, and for a second, I didn’t know how to respond. What did she want? Why was she standing there, watching us like this? I could feel Luca’s presence behind me, but I couldn’t turn around. Not yet. Not when everything inside me was unraveling.
Claire ste
