Ava woke before the sun had fully risen.
She lay on her side, staring at the pale wall across from her bed, her eyes unfocused, her mind anything but silent. The room was still wrapped in that early-morning hush that usually brought her comfort. Today, it only made the thoughts louder.
The previous night replayed itself relentlessly.
The hallway.
The soft lighting.
The way her heart had been pounding far too hard for something so simple.
The handkerchief.
She squeezed her eyes shut, groaning softly as her face heated all over again.
Why had she said that?
Ava turned onto her back, one arm thrown over her eyes as if that might block the memory. Damian's face flashed in her mind... his still, unreadable eyes... his gaze fixed on her in that way that made her feel too seen. And her words, her freaking words. They echoed again, just as they had all night, looping without mercy.
