The office settled into silence once the door closed.
Not the empty kind. but the heavy kind. The kind that pressed against Ava's chest and made every small sound feel louder than it should have been.
She sat on the leather couch near the glass wall, her back straight, her hands folded in her lap. From where she was, she could see Damian at his desk, already seated, his jacket removed, his sleeves rolled just enough to expose his forearms. He looked composed, untouched by the strange shift that had taken place the moment she stepped into his world.
Or at least, that was what he wanted it to look like.
Ava glanced at him from beneath her lashes.
He hadn't said anything since they'd entered. No explanation ir reassurance. Just a quiet instruction to sit as he moved behind his desk and opened a file like this was any other day.
Like she wasn't there.
She told herself she didn't care.
She told herself she was relieved by the distance.
