The silence that followed was almost deafening. Liam turned away, his chest rising and falling, and walked to the window without saying a word. He stood there, motionless, with his back to her. With a slow movement, he opened the curtain just a crack, as if he needed contact with the world outside to control something inside himself. The morning light traced his silhouette across the floor, and the shadow cast on the wall revealed the tension vibrating through every line of his body.

After a fe