“Good night,” she replied, doing her best not to think too much about the situation she was in.

A heavy silence settled over the room, as if every sound had been swallowed whole. All she could hear was her own heart pounding wildly, uneven and loud, as though it wanted to expose the confusion raging inside her.

“Are you asleep yet?”

Gael’s deep voice broke the silence, echoing through the darkness.

“Not yet,” she answered, turning her face slightly in his direction.

Even with the room wrapped i