Elena's POV
I knew something had broken the moment we left the restaurant.
It wasn't loud, whatever it was. It wasn't a slam or a crack or a scene that anyone else would have noticed. If anyone had been watching us as we stepped out into the cool night air, they would have seen a man and a woman leaving a beautiful restaurant after a beautiful dinner. His hand was at the small of my back. Mine was curled around my clutch. We looked like every other couple walking out under the city lights.
But inside, something had shifted. I could feel it like a draft under a locked door.
The drive back was too quiet.
Justin usually filled spaces without even trying. Sometimes with words, sometimes with that relaxed silence that still felt full, full of his thoughts, full of his attention. But tonight, the silence was different. It was empty.
