Chapter 19 - The Silent Harbor
The midnight mist rolled in from the dark waters of Boston Harbor, softening the edges of the historic brick warehouses and wrapping the cobblestone alleys in a shroud of quiet anonymity. Inside the private loft overlooking the water, the world felt miles away from the turbulence of our past lives.
I stood by the floor-to-ceiling glass windows, watching the red and green navigation lights of late-moving cargo vessels blink lazily across the black expanse of the bay. The heavy oak doors behind me clicked softly, and a moment later, the familiar, comforting weight of Damian’s arms wrapped securely around my waist.
“Still awake?” he murmured, his deep, gravelly voice a steady anchor against the chill of the glass.
“Just listening to the harbor,” I replied, leaning back into his solid chest. “It’s hard to believe that just a year ago, every shadow out there felt like a trap.”
Damian rested his chin on my shoulder, his dark eyes reflecting the faint amber glow of the city lights outside. “The traps belonged to a different world, Alice. We burned that world down so we could build this one.”
May you like
I turned within his embrace, looping my arms around his neck and looking up into his face. The harsh lines of suspicion and exhaustion that once defined him were entirely replaced by a quiet, unshakeable peace.
“And what a world it is,” I whispered, pressing my lips gently to his jaw.
