Eli launched into another story, Zac laughing loudly, Mark already reaching for his drink. The table was alive with noise, jokes, and careless conversation.

But Dominic barely heard any of it.

He sat there, nodding at the right moments, forcing small reactions, but his mind was somewhere else entirely. On Serena and the word he couldn’t stop seeing in his head.

Prenatal.

Across from him, Serena kept her eyes on her plate, pushing food around slowly. Neither of them spoke about it. They didn’t need to. The air between them had changed.

Dominic stole glances at her when he thought no one was looking. The way she sat a little...