The morning settled quietly around them, holding the softened warmth that lingered from the night before. Violet woke slowly. Her body felt rested, her breathing steady, and her mind completely aware of the shift she carried through the entire previous day. The bedroom lights remained dim, leaving the space wrapped in a calm glow that matched the tone she had come to recognize as her internal balance.

She turned slightly and saw Bryan already awake beside her. He wasn’t watching her. He stared upward, his expression contemplative in a way that suggested he was mentally tracing the events of yesterday and measuring them against the connection unfolding between them.

“Morning,”...