Eloise collapsed to the ground, her heart racing. Ainsley knelt beside her, panting.
“You’re such a bad girl,” he groaned with a crooked grin.
She blinked, then laughed. The sound surprised even her.
They leaned on each other as they walked home. Eloise winced with every step.
Inside, she locked the door behind them and turned to Ainsley. “Why were you there?” She asked with a frown.
He looked sheepish. “From the balcony… I watched you leave for work. And I wait for your return. I always have.”
Eloise froze. That… she hadn’t expected.
“I’m not stalking you,” he added quickly. “I just… feel safer knowing you made it home.”
Her throat closed. She didn’t speak.
Later that evening, after cleaning Ainsley’s wounds, Eloise sat in her office, the silence pressing on her.
Jacob had just
