Chapter 35:
The Cold War
Andrew’s POV
The silence between us had become a third presence in the penthouse.
It wasn’t just absence, it was weight. Like the cold breath before a storm. It clung to the walls, threaded through the air, made even the sound of footsteps feel intrusive. I used to crave the quiet. Now it crawled beneath my skin like something diseased.
Mary hadn’t said a word to me in days. And I hadn’t stopped her.
She moved around me like a ghost now, present, but unreachable. Her eyes didn’t plead anymore, and I should’ve felt victorious at that. I’d succeeded in freezing her out. The war between heart and duty had tipped toward duty.
And yet, every time she passed by, I fought the urge to reach out. To grab her hand. To pull her back to the place where we hadn’t yet br
