Chapter Twenty Eight

Lila

I don’t know how long we stayed like that my hand wrapped around his, the room hushed and still, the only movement the slow rise and fall of his chest.

Long enough for the last thin ribbon of sunset to slip off the floor. Long enough for the ache in my legs to go numb.

I thought he might pull away. That he’d retreat into himself, the way he always did when the world pressed too close. But he didn’t.

He just sat there, staring at the cufflink she’d left behind like a calling card. His thumb traced over the edge of my hand, absent, almost unconscious, and something in me twisted at the softness of it.

When he finally spoke, his voice was low and rough, like he’d spent the past hour clawing through old memories.

“I never told you what happened,” he murmured.

I drew in a careful breath, afraid any sudden movement would shatter the fragile calm between us. “What do you mean?”

“Between me and Vanessa.” His mouth curved, but there was no humor in it. “How it ended.”

I swallowed, tasting