I thought I could keep it all contained, a fragile bundle of control held together by careful words and polite laughter, but two drinks with Ronan, light and easy, a place that had always felt safe, had begun to unravel something inside me I hadn’t realized was so raw. I hadn’t expected kindness from him, but I had expected peace. I had not expected Adrian to appear.
When I looked up from my glass, there he was, standing just far enough to make my heart slam against my ribs, yet too close for me to breathe normally. Feet planted with an unspoken authority, shoulders squared in a way that made my chest tighten, his presence alone pushing the air from the room. He stood next to Ronan, the curve of his mouth set in a line that was neither angry nor gentle, but something in between, something
