Ava’s POV
The question hung between us like a blade.
Corren’s hand remained against the side of my neck, thumb resting just below my jaw, holding my face turned up to his. His eyes did not move from mine. The silence stretched long enough that I could hear the distant sound of a car on the front drive and the soft tick of the clock on the mantel.
“No one convinced me,” I said. My voice came out quieter than I wanted, but it stayed steady. “I didn’t talk to any of the staff about it. I didn’t ask Marcus or Raymond or anyone else. It’s something I’ve been thinking about since before I came here. I had plans, Corren. They didn’t disappear just because everything else did.”
His expression remained unreadable. The pressure of his thumb against my skin was light, but it was enough to keep me
