Daniel didn’t close the door.

He stood there with one hand still on the frame, looking at me like a man standing on the edge of something he already knew he would regret. The hallway was dark behind me. The faint light from his window cut across his face, showing the tension in his jaw and the tired conflict in his eyes.

“Ava,” he said again, quieter this time. “If you come in here, I won’t be able to pretend this is nothing.”

“I know.”

My voice sounded steadier than I felt. He searched my face for a long moment, as if giving me one last chance to turn around...