Violet woke thinking she’d dreamed everything. Her skin was completely dry, untouched—yet the memory of last night felt too real, too vivid. Her heartbeat kicked up for no reason, replaying every blurred, intimate moment with Julian until she yanked the blanket over her head in embarrassment.
A second later, the blanket was pulled down. She blinked into Julian’s face, eyes wide. “W-weren’t you supposed to leave early?”
“Plans got pushed back,” he said casually. He brushed his fingers over her cheek, then stepped away to grab his clothes. “But we should get moving.”
She watched his back—cold, distant—and something in her tightened. He only felt real, warm, human at night when he touched her. The moment the sun came up, he put the mask back on, neat and precise, like flipping a switch. It
