Rene’s fingers tightened on the door just as his jaw unclenched.Josh and Victtoria stood there with polite masks stretched over tension. Rene was just about to move aside, to allow them in, if only to keep the peace.Thump. Thump. Thump.Footsteps. Fast. Uneven.He turned just in time to see her.Maria.She rushed down the stairs barefoot, the oversized hem of his shirt swaying with each urgent step, her hair a wild mess around her shoulders, her breath shallow.But it was her eyes that stopped everything, red, glassy, wide with fear.“Maria?” Rene asked, his voice catching in his throat.She pushed past him and grabbed him by the shoulders, scanning him like he might be bleeding, like she expected to find something wrong.“Are you okay?” she asked, her hands moving over his chest, his arms, up to his face, cradling his jaw.“Hey-hey-” Rene reached for her wrists. “Maria, I’m okay. I’m fine.”She was shaking. Tears brimmed over her lower lashes, and then they began falling, hot and f
Last Updated : 2025-07-31 Read more