For a while, neither of them moved.
Alessia’s breathing gradually steadied, though her hands still clung faintly to Rafael’s shirt, her grip loosening just enough to ease but not enough to let go.
As if some part of her needed the reassurance.
That he was still there.
Still real.
Still something solid in the middle of everything unraveling around her.
Rafael didn’t rush her.
Didn’t pull away.
Didn’t say a word.
But something had shifted.
Subtle.
Quiet.
And far more dangerous than anything that had come before.
Because this wasn’t tension anymore.
Wasn’t anger.
Wasn’t the constant push and pull for control.
This was something else.
Something neither of them had planned.
Slowly, Alessia became aware of it.
The warmth of his body beneath her hands.
The steady rhythm of his
