After some time laying in each other’s arms, the silence did not fall gently.
It crashed.
Heavy. Suffocating. Unavoidable.
The heat between them slowly ebbed, leaving behind something far more dangerous — awareness.
Reality returned piece by piece.
Martin was the first to move.
Not abruptly. Not coldly.
But with a deliberate restraint that hurt more than rejection ever could.
He stepped back as if distance itself were a necessity for survival. His chest still rose and fell unevenly as he reached for his shirt from the floor. The fabric slid over his shoulders with controlled motions, every movement careful, measured — as though he were rebuilding the armor he had dropped.
Lana watched him without blinking.
A strange chill crawled along her spine.
Something was wrong. Something w
