The ride back home was steeped in a heavy, suffocating silence. The gentle lull of the waves was far behind them now, replaced by the hum of the car’s engine and the occasional shuffle from the driver in the front seat. Jaden sat beside her in the spacious back seat, his gaze fixed forward, jaw tight, eyes cold. The man who had kissed her under the moonlight—who had held her like she was the only thing that mattered—was gone.
Anna kept her hands folded in her lap, clutching the stems of the roses as though they were a lifeline. But even their beauty felt tainted now. The petals, once a symbol of a night that had seemed perfect, now felt like a cruel mockery.
Her phone buzzed against her thigh, slicing through the tense quiet like a blade.
Anna stiffened. She hesitated before shifting he
