CHAPTER 40

The moment they arrived at their destination, the sky opened up, and rain poured in sheets, a torrent of droplets racing down the windshield. Each drop hit the roof of the SUV with a steady, rhythmic pattern, a relentless soundtrack to the rising tension inside the vehicle.

“Just perfect,” Patricia muttered under her breath, a hint of sarcasm in her voice as she watched the downpour obscure the world outside.

The atmosphere inside the SUV shifted. The enclosed space, thick with the scent of leather and faint traces of Alvin’s cologne, felt suddenly more intimate. Patricia glanced over at Alvin, expecting a casual remark, but instead, she found him staring at her, his gaze heavy, his eyes dark with an emotion she couldn’t quite place.

Her breath hitched. There was something unsettling about the way he looked at her—intense as if he could see right through her facade, peeling back the layers she had so carefully constructed over the years.

“What?” she asked, her voice tinged with unease