Christian started the engine again, still without uttering a word.
The Jeep rolled forward, slipping back onto the road like nothing had happened. But inside the car, everything had shifted. No one said a word. Not Christian. Not Raven. Not even Mia. The only sounds were their breathing, the soft hum of the engine, and the distant rush of city life growing quieter behind them.
They drove for thirty minutes, wrapped in silence.
The streets transformed as they moved farther from the heart of the city. Skyscrapers gave way to modest shops, then to quiet, tree-lined avenues. The noise thinned. The tension didn’t. Mia kept her eyes on the road ahead, lips pressed tight. Raven stared out the window, watching joggers pass by and sprinklers arc over trimmed lawns. Neat sidewalks stretched past
