The first light of dawn crept quietly into the villa through the open windows, bringing with it the soft scent of the sea. The waves moved gently, washing the shore in steady rhythm. It was the kind of morning that demanded nothing, a rare moment of calm that stretched across the horizon.
Kairo stirred first. His eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the pale morning light filtering through the curtains. The first thing he noticed was Arielle, curled against him, her head resting on his chest. The soft rise and fall of her breathing was steady and unhurried. He held still for a long moment, not wanting to disturb her, just watching.
There was a quiet contentment in the way she slept... Peaceful, free, untangled from the past and from all the tensions that had once bound them. Kairo pressed a
