That long night had left them all fundamentally changed.
Golden morning light spilled through the window as Rowan blinked awake. His fingers instinctively reached across the sheets, only to find cold emptiness. He patted the space again. Nothing. His eyes flew open, taking in the vacant half of the bed where Liora should have been, as if last night's passion had been nothing but a dream.
A jolt of panic shot through him. Before he knew it, he was bolting downstairs barefoot, nearly tripping in his haste.
His pulse only steadied when he spotted Liora browsing outfits in the walk-in closet.
At the sound of footsteps, she turned, then arched an eyebrow at his disheveled, barefoot state. "Rowan," she drawled, lips quirking, "you didn't actually think I'd ghost you, did you?"
He rubbed the
