Peter pulled his hand away first.
The movement was small, almost controlled enough to look accidental, but Caro felt the loss of contact immediately. Warmth disappeared from her fingers so suddenly that the silence between them changed shape again, tightening with something far more dangerous than distance. Steam continued curling upward from the untouched tea cups while rain pressed softly against the kitchen windows, quieter now than before, as if the storm itself had moved farther away from the mansion. But inside Peter, something had shifted violently. She could see it in the tension along his jaw, in the way his eyes lowered briefly toward the table before forcing themselves away from her again.
"I should check the board updates," he said finally.
