Scarlett’s POV
The world slowed that night. It felt like the villa had exhaled for the first time in days, the weight of grief and fury momentarily pressed to the edges of my mind while Jasper and I swayed barefoot on the kitchen tiles.
His humming was off-key, but I clung to the sound anyway, because it was his voice, warm, steady, imperfect, alive. My cheek rested against his chest, and I closed my eyes, letting the vibrations of his heartbeat soothe the knots tangled inside me. For a moment, I allowed myself to forget everything else.
We didn’t speak, not at first. The silence carried its own music, one that only he and I could hear. And when I lifted my head to look at him, his gaze found mine with such intensity that my stomach twisted.
Jasper’s hand moved from my waist to my chee
