Daniel had no idea how long he had been asleep.
When he finally stirred, the first thing he noticed was the silence. Not the comforting kind, but the vast, open stillness that made him instinctively alert. He blinked, disoriented, and realized their car was parked at the top of a hill, overlooking a stretch of darkened land glowing faintly under the evening sky.
A moment of wariness washed over him.
Then he turned his head.
Anna was sitting beside him, watching him quietly.
Her eyes held a softness that made his heart constrict—a tenderness so fragile it almost hurt to look at. Not pity. Not fear. Just quiet presence.
Relief crashed into him so suddenly it left him breathless.
