Clara
New York looked gray from the car window, not rainy… just serious, as if the city itself understood that some mornings weren't made for romance, but for responsibilities.
I was in the passenger seat with my purse on my lap, my phone full of unread emails, and a digital folder open on my tablet that I'd been staring at for ten minutes without processing a single line.
My nerves weren't coming from Boston; they were coming from running out of a happy bubble. From going from a night of kisses and promises to a morning of conflicts, urgent flights, and tense meetings.
Ethan drove in silence, one hand firmly on the steering wheel, the other resting near the gearshift. Every now and then he'd bring it close to my knee, just to touch it for a few seconds. A small gesture, enough to k
