MINUTES LATER
The hot water beat down on Lucian’s shoulders, sliding down his skin in steady streams. Steam fogged up the glass walls of the shower, wrapping him in quiet warmth. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the heat wash away the day, the meetings, the long drive, the exhaustion that clung to his chest.
But the silence didn’t stay empty for long. His thoughts drifted again, uninvited, back to Georgia.
He exhaled slowly and rubbed a hand across his jaw. He hadn’t spoken to her properly in days. And now that the water drowned out the world, he couldn’t ignore how heavy that silence felt.
When he stepped out, a thin towel hung loosely around his waist. He walked past the mirror without glancing at it, his reflection the last thing he wanted to face.
He pulled on a black shir
