DOMENICO

By the time we pulled into her driveway, I could feel the tension in my chest tightening, coiling like a spring ready to snap. Knowing this was the part where she would be telling me to leave.

But I didn't want to leave her. Ever!

Four days without her had been hell. Cold beds, empty rooms, quiet walls—they’d reminded me constantly that she wasn’t here. And now, just seeing her, even across the car, made the ache worse.

Reina reached for her bag as if to leave immediately, her fingers brushing the leather strap with a little too much force. I caught her movement with a smile.

“You’re walking...