I woke up wrapped in his arms, his steady breath warm against the back of my neck. For a moment, I thought I was dreaming. This couldn’t be real. Lucian never held me like this. Never touched me unless he wanted to hurt me.
Even in my sleep, my body refused to relax. I had trained myself to sleep lightly, always on edge, because I never knew when he would decide to remind me who was in control.
Slowly, I slipped out of his grasp, holding my breath as I tiptoed to the bathroom. The cold water on my face did little to shake off the dread curling in my stomach. When I returned, he was awake, his piercing eyes locked on me.
For a second, I thought—just maybe—he would be different this morning. Maybe he’d act sweet. Maybe last night was proof that some part of him cared.
But I shoul
