Duke's apartment felt different when they walked through the door. Smaller somehow, despite being the same space Valentina had lived in for months. Or maybe it was just that Duke took up more room now—his presence filling every corner, his freedom tangible and overwhelming.
"Home," he said, the word cracking slightly. He stood in the middle of the living room, looking around like he'd been gone years instead of weeks. "I never thought I'd see this place again."
Valentina set down his few belongings—the clothes he'd been wearing when arrested, now in a clear plastic bag. Everything else was exactly as he'd left it. She'd kept it that way, refusing to pack up his life even when it seemed hopeless.
"You hungry?" she asked. "I could make something, or order—"
Duke pulled her against him, c
