Author's POV

The world outside the penthouse windows was a glittering tapestry of city lights, but for Elara, the universe had narrowed to the soft, rhythmic sound of a heartbeat beneath her cheek. It was a new sound, one that had replaced the sterile quiet of their nights. His heartbeat. Rhys’s. He had fallen asleep with his head on her chest, his quiet presence a heavy, comforting anchor in the dark. It was the first night it had happened, a spontaneous act born from the raw vulnerability they had shared hours before. His need had been a low, rumbling command, and she had responded without thought, simply opening her arms to him, a silent invitation.