The silence in the room stretched on, thick and heavy with an intensity that made Ethea's chest ache.
Soren still hadn't moved, nor had he released her hand.
Instead, his thumb gave a slow, absentminded brush against the back of her wrist, a small, natural gesture that nearly made her entire facade collapse on the spot.
'Please look away... Please just look away...' she pleaded silently, her mind a chaotic storm of nerves.
She could feel the heat radiating from her face, and she was absolutely certain that the brilliant pink on her cheeks was entirely visible in the growing morning light. Her heart was beating so hard against her ribs that she was terrified he might actually hear it.
Meanwhile, Soren quietly observed her. He noticed the slight, unnatural stiffness in her posture and the faint trembling of her long eyelashes. Sensing that something was amiss, he silently activated Investor's Insight.
The skill immediately laid out her current status before his eyes.
