"I'm staying," she countered, her voice reclaiming its usual sharp edge. "Do you truly think I've ever listened to a word you've said? Don't be ridiculous, Mathias. I am staying here tonight."
Mathias didn't argue. He didn't have the strength left to fight a woman who treated his bedroom like a conquered territory. With a heavy sigh, he turned his back to her, pulling the silk sheets up as if they were a shield.
"Suit yourself," he muttered into the darkness, his voice thick with a weariness that went bone-deep. "Just... don't speak to me. I want to sleep."
Silence reclaimed the room, thick and heavy. They lay there, two statues carved from ice and regret, sharing the same bed yet separated by an invisible ocean. Olivia stared at the broad expanse of his back, the tension in his shoulders radiating even through the dark.
