The change in Lucien was absolute. He no longer offered weak excuses about working late, and the secretive phone calls stopped because there were no secrets left to keep.
Now, he would tell Ziva plainly that he was taking Sasha to the dinner with the Vega investors, as her presence was essential for the brand’s image. He said this while selecting a tie, his attention on his reflection as he delivered the news. She would watch him leave, and later, the apartment would fill with the trace of his return.
It was not just the sound of the door. It was the smell that came with him, a thick, sweet cloud of vanilla and night jasmine that clung to his skin and his clothes. The scent would settle in the rooms, and in the morning, Ziva would sometimes find a single strand of long, pale hair on th
