The sun was already rising over the beach villa by the time Maximilian finished dressing. He stood before the mirror, adjusting the cuffs of his shirt with steady hands, but his reflection looked colder than it had the night before. Outside, the faint rumble of the car waiting for him echoed against the quiet waves.
He took a slow breath, smoothing a hand through his hair, preparing himself not for any business, not for the drive, but for confronting the silence that had settled thickly between him and Evelyn.
She sat at the small table by the window, still in her robe, sipping absentmindedly from a cup of coffee that had already gone lukewarm. Her eyes never lifted from the floor. Ever since she had stepped out of the bathroom that morning, she had been nothing but still.
Max slipped h
