The words hung in the air like something fragile that had already shattered.

Not dramatically. Not loudly.

Just a small, involuntary reaction, like a man who had just been struck somewhere deep and unguarded.

Genevieve’s smile didn’t falter, but I saw it—just for a second. The flicker. The calculation.

She hadn’t expected that.

“Let’s not do this here,” Steven said finally, his voice low, controlled.

I let out a quiet laugh.