Morning arrived quietly.
Too quietly.
Bella woke to light spilling across the unfamiliar ceiling, pale and unforgiving. For a few seconds, she didn’t move. She listened instead to the city below, distant and alive, to the steady rhythm of breathing beside her.
Julian.
The realization settled slowly, not with panic, but with awareness.
Last night had not been a dream.
She turned her head slightly. Julian lay on his back, one arm bent beneath his head, eyes open, unfocused. He wasn’t sleeping. He hadn’t been for some time.
The distance between their bodies was minimal, but something invisible had already begun to stretch.
Bella shifted carefully, propping herself up on one elbow. “You’re awake.”
“Yes,” Julian said. His voice was calm. Too calm.
She studied his face, searching for s
