The city fell away behind them like a bad dream losing its grip.
Thorne drove with one hand on the wheel, steady and unhurried. The morning traffic thinned as they crossed the bridge and merged onto the highway. Towers became shorter buildings. Shorter buildings became rows of trees and warehouses. Then even those faded, and the road opened into long, clean stretches of gray.
Caroline sat in the passenger seat with her hands folded in her lap like she was holding herself in place.
Silence sat between them—careful, not awkward—but it still tightened her chest.
Caroline finally let out a breath like she'd been holding it since she got in the car.
"Thorne?"
His eyes flicked briefly to her, then back to the road. "Yes?"
"Can we talk about... what happened?"
His grip on the wheel didn't
