The next morning came too fast. I woke up with Lucian’s arm still draped around me on the couch. We had both fallen asleep there, too drained to move to the bed. His breathing was steady against my hair, and for a moment I let myself stay in the warmth. The laptop with my mother’s folder sat closed on the table like a sleeping ghost. I still had questions, but today we had other things to face.
Lucian stirred and tightened his hold for a second before letting go. “Morning,” he said, voice rough with sleep. “You okay?”
I sat up and rubbed my eyes. “As okay as I can be after everything last night.”
He brushed a strand of hair from my face. “We’ll get through it. One thing at a time. Today we have the big meeting. Then hopefully Evelyn.”
I nodded. The deal today was important. Lucian had
