Claire’s breath caught in her throat as Ethan stepped closer, his sharp gaze never leaving her. The moonlight cast long shadows on the ground, the rippling river’s sound now a distant hum in her ears. She could feel her heartbeat in her throat, like the thrum of a warning drum.
“I can feel something’s off,” Ethan said, his voice low and steady, though his eyes searched hers with a quiet intensity. “I’m not stupid, Claire. Whatever’s going on, it’s not just in your head.”
Her stomach tightened painfully, and she instinctively took a step back. “I… I don’t know how to say this,” she whispered, her voice trembling despite her efforts to remain composed.
Ethan didn’t speak, just stood there, watching her with that unreadable look in his eyes. The silence stretched, thick and suffocating. Sh
