The night air was crisp, cool, and still.
Zeke stood on the terrace outside the guest room, hands in the pockets of his trousers, eyes fixed on the distant hills that framed the countryside estate. The moon hung low, casting silver light across the quiet garden Elise loved so much.
He let out a long breath.
Should I really meet someone new? Just for grandma? He wondered silently. His grandmother's hopeful smile replayed in his mind—the way her voice softened when she spoke of great-grandchildren, of the future she longed to see for him.
But his heart… it wasn't ready.
Not yet. Maybe not ever.
He pressed his lips into a line and stared down at the stone railing. The thought of starting a relationship just to fulfill someone else's wish felt… wrong. Hollow. He had done that once—married Cassidy under the weight of duty and expectations. And it had left a scar too deep to ignore.
