Inside, the apartment felt far too quiet. Katherine leaned her back against the door long after the final lock had clicked into place. Her hands were trembling, her heart thundering beneath her ribcage like it wanted to claw its way out and run to him.
She sank to the floor slowly, drawing her knees up to her chest. Her living room was lit only by a warm lamp in the corner, casting shadows across the photographs on the wall, the couch, and the books stacked on the window sill. The air smelled like lavender and cinnamon from the candle she had burned earlier in the evening.
It should have felt like home. It had felt like home just hours ago.
Now it felt like a fortress. Or a prison.
Because he was outside.
Kingsley.
The man she had once loved with a heart so open it scared her. The ma
