Chapter 46

• CIARA'S POV
• The silence in the car pressed against my ears. Darragh's knuckles whitened slightly around the steering wheel, his gaze fixed on the asphalt unwinding before us. I turned toward the window, watching emerald pines smear into jade streaks as we sped past. The clothes he'd gotten dry for me still held warmth from the dryer.
• The hotel room stood behind us now—a temporary sanctuary where time had seemed suspended. But with each mile marker we passed, reality crept closer. Choices loomed. Consequences waited.