The kiss lingered between them, charged with the unspoken realization that everything had shifted. No longer just a business deal, the contract they had once signed in haste was now a bond they could not easily break. Adriana pulled away slowly, her fingers lingering on Marco’s chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heart under the weight of the moment.
“I want to believe this is real,” she whispered, her voice thick with emotion.
Marco exhaled sharply, brushing his lips against her forehead. “It is. But I can’t ignore what’s still out there. We’re not free yet.”
Her gaze drifted to the darkened room around them. The walls seemed to close in as the weight of their circumstances pressed upon her chest. “I know. But what do we do now?”
He stepped back, his eyes scanning the room, as if
