But he stepped forward, matching the space I’d tried to create.
“You like pretending you’re not part of this house,” he said quietly. “But you are. Every part of you already is. I see you being sneaky.”
“You don’t know anything about me.”
“Don’t I?”
Something in his tone made my breath catch.
For a long moment, we stood there in silence — a silence so loud it drowned everything else..
Then he leaned closer. I felt his breath against my jaw, not a touch, but close enough that my skin burned.
“You think you can walk into my world and leave untouched?” he whispered.
He reached for me, but I caught his hand midway. A slow, knowing smile tugged at his lips before he caught both of my hands in his. With quiet strength, he guided me back until the wall met my shoulders. His grip shifted,
