Inside the car, the doors closed with a soft, final thud that seemed to seal the chaos outside. The city lights reflected faintly on the windshield as Henry reached for his seat belt and fastened it.
The engine hummed gently, waiting. For a few seconds, neither of them spoke. The silence was not awkward, but heavy, filled with things that had no immediate words.
Thea finally broke it.
She turned slightly in her seat, her fingers tightening around the strap of her bag. Her voice came out softer than she intended, stripped of all the defiance she had worn earlier. “Henry… I’m sorry to call you over so abruptly.”
She exhaled as if the apology had been sitting in her chest all along. “I didn’t plan it. Everything just… happened.”
Henry turned to her, studying her face. He saw past the ca
