Marshall’s POV

The air in the cell had changed. I could feel it every time I breathed. It wasn’t just the cold or the silence anymore. It was something heavier, sharper, something between us that neither of us dared to name.

Days passed like always, breakfast, work duty, inspection, then lights out. But every glance, every word, every movement between Francesco and me now carried a strange tension. Like a wire pulled tight, ready to snap.

When we ate, I could feel his eyes sometimes drift toward me, not directly, but enough for me to notice. When we talked, even about small things like the taste of the food or...