Before the door had fully closed behind him, his senses expanded outward.
Sound first.
Breathing.
Soft. Even. Alive.
Scent next.
Her.
It lingered in the air like warmth left behind by a fading flame — fragile, unfamiliar, and now unmistakably anchored within his space.
His jaw tightened.
She was here.
His gaze shifted toward the living area, and there she was.
Curled on the couch.
Asleep.
For a long moment, he simply stood there.
She looked smaller than he remembered. Not merely in size — in presence. The usual tension that wrapped around her like invisible armor had dissolved in sleep, leaving behind something painfully unguarded. One arm rested loosely across her middle, fingers slightly curled as if holding onto something that no longer existed. A faint crease marked her br
