The ticking of the clock sounded like a countdown to something he couldn't stop. Adam leaned back in his chair, tie loosened, jaw tight. The city lights glimmered through the glass wall behind him, but even that shimmer failed to distract him.
He hadn't slept since the gala.
Not really.
Not since he'd seen Sofia laugh like she had no weight in her chest. Like nothing inside her had been left cracked by his silence. And the worst part? That laugh hadn't been for him.
The door burst open—no knock, no warning.
Adam didn't flinch, but his spine straightened on instinct.
Tristan strode in, tension hanging off him like smoke. "Just a heads-up—I'm leaving tomorrow."
Adam blinked. "What?"
"To Elise's birthday party. Out of town. We're driving to her hometown."
Adam's brow furrowed. "We?"
"Yeah. I'm going with them. Sofia, Elise, Anne... and Justin's driving."
Adam sat up straighter. "Sofia's going?"
Tristan's silence answered for him.
