Chapter 19 Fractures In The Dark

• The blackout stretched longer than expected, leaving the penthouse wrapped in shadows. Only the faint glow of the city outside filtered through the tall windows, painting Antoine’s profile in fractured light. Élise’s breath caught at how strangely vulnerable he looked without the shield of brightness. The way darkness stripped him down to something rawer, something he didn’t want her to see.
• Her hand hovered over the table, fingers brushing against the stem of her wineglass. She thought of saying something lighthearted, anything to ease the sudden heaviness pressing down on them. But when she glanced at Antoine again, his jaw was set, and his gaze seemed fixed far beyond her into a past he couldn’t quite silence.
• “You don’t like the dark?” she asked, keeping her voice low and careful.