Chapter 18: Blackwood
The light was still on in his study when I passed by around dawn, and I stopped, knocking softly before letting myself in.
"You haven't slept, have you?" I asked.
"No," Adrian said, not bothering to lie.
I walked inside without waiting for an invitation, something that would have felt strange weeks ago but now came naturally. He was still holding the cufflink, turning it slowly between his fingers as though the motion might reveal something new.
I crossed to the window and pulled the curtains open, morning light spilling across the room and washing over the cold, untouched coffee sitting beside him. I picked up the cup, poured it away, and started fresh, setting a new mug down beside his hand a few minutes later.
"You don't have to keep doing this," he said quie
