Selena.
Dinner felt longer than it should have.
I could feel it the entire time. The tension in the room. The way Denver barely looked at me. The way his jaw tightened whenever anyone spoke my name.
Every sound seemed louder. Every glance heavier. I could still feel the echo of the moment earlier clinging to my skin, like something I had failed to wash away.
When it finally ended, I rose from my seat quietly, smoothing my dress as if that simple motion could steady the storm inside my chest. I needed air. Space. Distance from the weight in the room.
“Selena.”
His voice stopped me before I reached the door.
It was calm. Too calm. There was something tight beneath it, something restrained, like a storm held back by sheer will.
I turned.
“Go to my chambers,” Denver said, his eyes fix
