Chapter 73: Cracks in the Armor

Ashley’s POV

The ride back was silent, save for the occasional hum of the engine and the rhythmic turn of the tires on the pavement. Andreas hadn’t said much since he’d put me in the car, and I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not. Every now and then, I’d steal a glance at him, but his face remained unreadable—cool, detached. The same Andreas I’d come to know, and yet... not.

My forehead rested against the cool glass, the dark streets blurring into a haze. My pulse still hadn't settled, riding the aftershocks of adrenaline from the bar encounter. I wanted to pretend I was fine, that everything was fine, but something inside me had shifted. I felt unmoored, as if my grip on reality was slipping.

The silence stretched on, thick and pressing. I was suddenly hyper-aware of the space between us, of how little we’d said since leaving the bar. Every unspoken word hung between us, suffocating. I hated the tension, the waiting.

I broke the silence first. “You didn’t have to say that,” I