Something stupid stirred inside my chest.
Hope.
Tiny.
Fragile.
Dangerous.
Maybe he’d cooled off.
Maybe he’d thought about it.
Maybe—
“Havoc…”
The hope died the second his expression flattened.
I already knew the answer.
Still, I asked.
“Can I see Millie today?”
The silence lasted less than a second.
“No.”
Just one word.
Cold.
Immediate.
Absolute.
And there it was.
The reality beneath the gesture.
The concealer wasn’t kindness.
It was maintenance.
A repair kit for damage he’d caused himself.
I stared at my reflection.
“Please.”
His jaw tightened.
“We already talked about this.”
“I know.”
My fingers curled around the edge of the counter.
“I just thought maybe…”
“What?”
His tone sharpened.
“Because of last night?”
The humiliation arrived instantly.
Hot and i
