The rest of the day passed in a blur.
Not because it was busy, but because my mind refused to stay in one place long enough for anything to settle. Every task felt automatic, every conversation distant, like I was moving through everything without really being there.
And no matter how many times I tried to focus—
My thoughts kept drifting back.
To that moment.
To the way Samuel had looked at me.
To what he had almost said.
I pressed my lips together, flipping through a chart without really reading it. It shouldn't have affected me this much. It was just a conversation. Just a few words left unfinished.
But it didn't feel like just that.
It felt like something I had stepped away from.
Something I hadn't been ready to face.
"Sophie?"
I blinked, looking up to find one of the nurses watching me with a small frown. "You okay?"
"Yeah," I said quickly, straightening. "Just tired."
She didn't look entirely convinced, but she nodded anyway before walking off.
I let out a slow breath, setting the file down as my fingers lingered against the edge of the desk.
Tired.
That was the easiest answer.
Not the right one.
By the time I got home, the sky had already darkened, the soft glow of the mansion lights welcoming me in.
For a moment, I stood at the entrance, my hand still on the door as I hesitated.
Then I stepped inside.
Harley was there.
Sitting in the living room, his posture relaxed but his attention distant, like he had been waiting without wanting to admit it.
Our eyes met briefly.
Just long enough for something unspoken to pass between us.
"You're back," he said.
"Yeah."
I slipped off my shoes and walked further inside, setting my bag down carefully. The silence that followed felt familiar now—no longer sharp, but still present, still there.
"How was your day?" he asked.
"Fine," I replied. "Yours?"
"Busy."
The conversation ended there.
Just like it always did.
I moved toward the kitchen, grabbing a glass of water, the routine grounding me in a way that felt necessary. Behind me, I could still feel his presence—quiet, steady, but distant in a way I couldn't ignore.
It hadn't always been like this.
That thought settled heavily in my chest.
Because I remembered what it used to feel like.
Effortless.
Easy.
Before everything became complicated.
Before I started second-guessing every word, every silence, every look.
I took a slow sip of water, my gaze unfocused as my thoughts shifted again—
Back to Samuel.
To how different it had felt.
No tension.
No hesitation.
Just… ease.
I closed my eyes briefly, exhaling softly.
Why does it feel like I'm standing in the middle of something I don't understand?
I opened my eyes again, staring down at the glass in my hand.
Because that's exactly what it felt like.
Like I was caught between two things—
One that felt familiar but distant.
And one that felt new but… steady.
And I didn't know which one I was supposed to hold on to.
"Sophie."
His voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
I turned slightly, meeting Harley's gaze.
He was watching me again.
Not saying anything.
Just… watching.
"Yes?" I asked.
He hesitated, just for a fraction of a second.
Like he might say something.
Like he might finally break the silence that had been sitting between us for days.
But then—
"Nothing," he said.
The word fell flat.
Final.
I nodded slowly, even though something in my chest tightened at the missed moment.
"Okay."
And just like that—
We went back to pretending.
That night, sleep didn't come easily.
Every time I closed my eyes, my thoughts drifted back to the same place.
To what had almost happened.
To what hadn't.
And to everything that still hadn't been said.
I shifted onto my side, staring at the faint light spilling through the curtains as the silence of the mansion settled around me.
Because the truth was—
I wasn't choosing.
Not yet.
I was just… staying in the middle.
And the longer I stayed there—
The harder it was getting to move.