The house smelled like red wine and cinnamon candles, the soft hum of a Friday night dinner filling every corner. Maya was radiant, her laughter spilling into the dining room like music. She loved hosting people, loved showing off her picture-perfect life with her perfect husband. And I sat at her table, smiling like my body hadn’t been trembling for him since the moment I stepped through the door.
He sat across from me. Perfect posture. Calm expression. Eyes that burned through me every time Maya turned her head. He wore a dark blue shirt with the top two buttons undone, the faint edge of his throat glinting in the warm light. He hadn’t touched me once since I arrived. He didn’t need to. Every glance was enough to make my pulse quicken.
“I’m so glad you could come tonight,” Maya said, r
