The rooftop was silent, suspended above the hum of Brussels’ evening heartbeat. Soft amber light spilled from antique lanterns placed at deliberate intervals along the garden path, their flames flickering gently in the summer breeze. Sophie stood near the edge, one hand resting on the iron railing, her eyes drawn to the city spread out beneath her—alive, golden, unknowingly distant.

Behind her, she heard Alexander’s footsteps—unhurried, steady. The sound of him approaching had become something familiar, almost grounding, and yet tonight it carried something else. Something... weighted.

He didn’t speak as he came to stand beside her. Didn’t reach for her. The silence between them was not empty, but charged,...