MAYA

“You're no use to me if you faint at the office.” Silas’s voice broke the awkward silence, pulling me out of my shame.

He didn't laugh at me. “Now, sit up. The food is coming.”

I immediately sat upright, tucking strands of hair behind my ear and focusing on the white tablecloth to avoid his eyes. When the food arrived, the richness of the aroma was overwhelming. We began to eat in a silence that felt different than the one in the car. It was less suffocating, almost relaxed.

Compared to everyone else in that mansion, Silas was starting to seem like the only normal person left in the...