Chapter 18

The moment Nathan walked through my door, I felt my chest loosen, like someone had finally cracked open a window in a suffocating room. He didn’t say much at first, actually, he didn’t need to. Just being there, arms wide and eyes filled with concern, was enough to break the silence in my head.

I stepped into his embrace, burying my face in his shoulder. His scent was clean, warm and comforting. It wrapped around me like a soft shield and for the first time all day, I let out a calm breath.

“I saw the news,” he said gently, one hand stroking my hair, the other holding...