Lara's POV
It had been months since I left my husband, and I hated how the emptiness stayed with me no matter how far I tried to run from it. I tried to fill my days with Cassian's laughter, with chores, with long quiet walks inside the house, but nothing distracted me from the ache I carried.
I still missed Marco. Every night I told myself I would get used to this new life, that I would learn to breathe without him, yet each morning I still woke up searching for the warmth I used to feel beside me.
I enjoyed my time with Cassian more than anything, but even those moments were shadowed by the tension that surrounded us. Cammie and Corbin barely relaxed. They moved through the house like restless ghosts, always alert, always listening, always ready. They wandered the perimeter several times a day, checking corners, sniffing the air, tightening security as if danger could break through the door at any moment.
