The morning light filtered softly through the sheer curtains, casting golden rays across the hardwood floor. Ava stirred, the warmth beside her gone. Her body ached, not just from the night they’d shared, but from the weight of what it meant.

She blinked and turned, but Damien was nowhere in sight.

The spot where he’d lain beside her was cold now.

She sat up slowly, the sheets slipping down her bare shoulders, and for a long moment, she just stared at the empty space beside her. Her fingers curled in the linen, her heart unreasonably heavy. She wasn’t supposed to feel this way and wasn't supposed to let last night...