"Miss Lyvana?"
Marco's deep voice broke through her thoughts. His eyes met hers briefly in the rearview mirror.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine."
Marco did not respond immediately. They both knew that was a lie. His hands tightened slightly around the steering wheel as the car moved smoothly through the quiet streets.
"You've been saying that a lot lately," he said quietly.
Lyvana let out a quiet breath and turned her gaze back toward the window.
"What would you prefer I say?"
Marco's jaw flexed. "The truth."
A bitter smile touched her lips for only a second.
"The truth changes nothing," she told him.
Silence filled the car once more. Outside, the city remained alive, restaurants glowing with warm light, couples laughing on sidewalks, music drifting faintly from open bars. Ordinary people living ordinary lives.
It felt strangely distant from her now.
As though she were watching the world from behind a glass.
