Maya stirred awake slowly, the sunlight spilling through the curtains in thin golden streaks. Her lashes fluttered before her eyes finally opened, and the first thing she saw was Elias’s face resting peacefully on the pillow beside her. His chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm, his features softer than she was used to seeing in the daylight.

Her lips curved into a gentle smile. The memories of last night played in her mind, the romance , the warmth of his arms, the quiet words they had shared when the world outside no longer mattered. For the first time in a long while, she had felt completely at home,...