Morning light streamed through the apartment window, brighter than ever.
Elena woke with her cheek pressed against the sofa cushion and slowly sat up. Memories of the previous night rushed back all at once: Julian standing outside her door, the truth he had carried for weeks… and the kiss they had shared.
Almost instinctively, her fingertips brushed her lips.
Even now, it felt like a dream she was afraid to wake from.
For months, Julian Cross had seemed untouchable. A man who walked into every room in complete control, revealing nothing of what he truly felt.
Yet somehow, in the quiet of her tiny apartment, that control had vanished.
Maya walked into the room carrying two mugs of coffee and handed one to her sister.
“You’ve been staring at the floor for five minutes.
Maya raised an
