Caroline was fully awake.
Snowlight pressed against the curtains, turning the cabin into a pale, quiet box.
Thorne lay on his side, facing her, eyes open, watching her without rushing the moment.
Caroline held his gaze and didn't look away.
The words she'd said in the dark still hung between them like heat trapped under a blanket.
I love you.
Just truth—and the risk that came with it.
Her throat felt tight from choosing speech over hiding.
Thorne didn't move. He gave her space the way he always did—quiet, deliberate, not pitying. Room to decide. To take back what she said.
But she wouldn't. Not anymore.
“I meant what I said," she carried on.
His eyes didn't blink.
“I love you," she said again, steadying her voice on the second try. “And I'm not saying it as a thank-you."
Tho
