Lana POV
The moonlight still clung to my skin as I stepped back onto solid ground, his arms lingering on my body like a phantom. Artemis hadn’t said a word the entire row back across the lake. But somehow, that silence felt louder than anything he could’ve spoken.
We had shared something. Again. Something we weren’t allowed to. A moment too close, too tender—too dangerous. It left my chest aching and my thoughts spinning.
I didn’t know what to do with it. So, like always, I buried it.
Back inside the resort’s dining hall, the mood was warm and festive. Employees lounged in elegant eveningwear, sipping on wine, laughing over dessert. Someone had dragged a small sound system to the center of the room, playing soft, jazzy instrumentals as a few couples slow-danced near the fireplace.
I s
