That subtle reaction, however slight, didn't escape Summer Thorne's notice. To her, it was like the flutter of a butterfly's wings, unleashing a devastating storm.
It reached the point where she could no longer focus on anything else. Even though she maintained the pretense of reading, forcing her eyes away, her attention remained fixed on him.
In the past, she would have immediately grabbed his hand and asked him what was wrong.
But now, she could only sit there, frozen, pretending she hadn't seen a thing while she waited for the man behind her to react.
And yet, Timothy York gave no reaction for a long, long time.
He remained quietly behind her, as if nothing had happened, still holding her in the same tender embrace as before.
If only she couldn't see his hand in her peripheral vision, if only the body behind her weren't growing so obviously rigid…
Summer Thorne sensed it all distinctly, but she was still incapable of reacting.
