The sharp ringing of his phone cut through the silence like a blade.
Caleb groaned low under his breath, his brows pulling together as he stirred reluctantly, his body still heavy with sleep, his mind slow to catch up with reality as his hand moved blindly across the sheets in search of the source of the sound.
For a moment—
He didn’t recognize where he was.
The bed felt different.
The space… unfamiliar.
His eyes opened halfway, unfocused, scanning the room in confusion as instinct tried to piece things together.
And then—
Memory hit.
Fast.
Clear.
The penthouse. Returning.
Iva.
The intensity of the night.
Her.
“Iva…” he murmured, his voice rough with sleep as his gaze shifted immediately to the space beside him.
Empty.
Cold.
The sheets slightly wrinkled where she had been
