Naomi’s Pov

The day started like it was pretending nothing had changed.

Emails. Calls. Quiet conversations that stopped when Cassian walked into the room. People are trying not to look at us together while absolutely looking at us together. I noticed the shift right away. The way eyes tracked movement. The way silence followed us down the hall.

Visibility had weight.

I felt it in my shoulders, in the way I squared them without thinking. Not defensive. Just ready.

Cassian noticed too. He didn’t comment. He adjusted.

He stopped positioning himself half a step ahead of me. He didn’t fall back either. He stayed beside me. Not protective. Present.

That...