The late afternoon sun slanted through the blinds, streaking the wooden floor with golden stripes. Evelyn moved through the quiet house, her steps measured, a faint tension in the tilt of her shoulders.
Ethan had been home for three days now, and though the house wasn’t empty, it felt… charged. Every glance, every pause in conversation seemed weighted, a fragile line stretching taut between them.
She was carrying a tray with two cups of tea when she rounded the corner toward the kitchen and nearly collided with him.
“Watch it,” she said, her voice sharper than intended, though her pulse had stuttered at the sudden closeness.
“I could say the same,” Ethan replied, his tone teasing, though his eyes lingered on her a moment too long. The corner of his mouth lifted, but it didn’t reach th
