The car remained quiet for a long while. Only the soft hum of the engine and the faint sound of tires brushing against the road filled the silence. Theon stole a glance at Lena before returning his eyes to the road. She sat still in the passenger seat, her fingers curled tightly against her thighs, her gaze fixed outside the window.

Her expression was calm. The kind of calm that looked fragile. Like someone holding themselves together by a thread. Theon’s grip tightened around the steering wheel. “Are you okay?” Lena didn’t respond. Theon swallowed. “When I was driving over…” he began carefully, “I saw you and Rhys arguing. It...