Riley POV
The new boundaries made everything worse.
Luca and I had agreed not to touch, not to speak privately at night, not to become jealous, and not to discuss anything that crossed professional lines. The rules sounded simple when he listed them in the kitchen. In reality, they made every movement feel suspicious.
When Luca entered a room, I noticed.
When he stood beside me, I stepped away too quickly.
When our hands nearly touched, both of us reacted as though contact might burn.
The children noticed. Martha noticed. Even James gave us a curious look during breakfast after Luca and I reached for the coffee pot at the same time and immediately pulled our hands back.
By the third day, pretending nothing existed between us required more effort than admitting the truth would have.
