I barely slept. The note stayed on the nightstand like a warning I couldn’t ignore. When morning finally came, I got up, dressed in warm clothes, and found Lucian already awake in the living area. He looked like he hadn’t slept much either.
“Coffee?” he asked, holding out a cup.
I took it. “Thanks.”
He watched me for a second. “You look tired.”
“So do you.”
He set his own cup down. “There’s time before the morning meetings. Walk with me by the lake?”
I almost said no. But the suite felt too small, and the questions in my head felt too loud. “Fine. But I’m not pretending everything’s okay.”
“I’m not asking you to pretend.”
We left the hotel and stepped outside. The path along Lake Geneva was quiet this early, just a few joggers and the sound of water lapping against the shore. I pul
