Chapter 34 What Silence Can't Hide

• It didn’t take long. Darren returned, his face was a mask once more, expression locked tight, his voice clipped, colder than steel
• “That,” he said flatly, not daring to meet her eyes, “never happened.”
• Nina fixed her gaze on him anyway. She didn’t argue, didn’t plead. She only nodded once, agreeing to his terms. But in her chest, she knew the truth. That wall he lived behind had shattered the moment his lips touched hers, and no amount of denial—no cement or steel—could ever piece it back together again.