he trees standing like sentinels beneath the starlit sky. The crackling fire behind her had died to glowing embers, but the warmth

made her feel like she ha

hing about time-it

Adrien was sprawled across the bed, peaceful and completely unguarded. His strong jawline had softened in

inctively wrapped around her. She smiled into the darkness. For a man who once lived behi

he mountains and the silence? Would this still

as filled with easy conversation-stories of childhood mischief, Adrien's boarding school di

or Rose, that scared h

verything felt different. Same skyline. Same luxur

out of the elev

ien asked, settin

ly as she looked around. "It's breath

eel like a fortress. I built it that way o

w?" she

ow it feels too quie

hey came from different worlds, played by different rules. She had spent her life making do, surviving one hard day at

er the glittering lights of the city. She heard the soft click of

he said, handing her

king," sh

," he teas

ing. If I asked you to walk away from everything

. Instead, he sipped his dr

mean asking you to walk away from your dr

at. I wasn't testing you. I just.

and on the same side, Rose. Even

, but the man. The one who let her into his quiet places. The one

the return of the w

rategy meetings. His assistant arrived before 9 a.m., bring

s, barely stopping to breathe. It was like watching someone

g, he loo

is," he said, collapsing

. "You didn't forget. You just h

y. "You always k

silence," she said. "It teach

and in his eyes, she saw bo

" she said, resting her head o

and deep, and p

rms, Rose realized something te

kind. Not the mov

real

r routines. That finds you in the in-between spaces. The k

ence, with goals, with grit. But Adrien was slowly peeling away her layers-not

that could either be her

spered her name in sleep, Rose closed her eye