Catherine felt something off. The air behind her felt emptier.
Catherine slowed. Then stopped.
She turned.
Five meters.
Five precious meters of space lay between them.
Her lips curved into a bright, satisfied smile.
Maximilian halted instinctively, less because she had stopped, and more because of that smile.
The evening sun hung low, pale gold against the early winter sky. It caught in her hair, revealing hidden strands of red beneath the dark… like embers stirred awake by light. Her eyes reflected the glow, warm and golden, softened by the chill in the air. And her smile…
God.
He wanted to die watching that smile.
Not dramatically. Not painfully.
Just… right there. In that quiet moment. Preserved forever.
Then understanding struck him.
The reason for her happiness.
The distance.
The physical space she had so deliberately widened.
Something in his chest tightened. Just a little.
