AVA'S POV
The morning sunlight filtered through the gauzy curtains, painting warm gold streaks across the room like quiet blessings.
I blinked against the light, still tucked beneath the sheets that smelled of candle wax, roses, and Ethan.
A peace lingered in the air, the kind that follows only the most sacred of nights.
I didn't move at first. I lay there with Ethan's arm loosely draped over my waist, our legs still tangled.
His breathing was deep, rhythmic, the kind that told me he was still wrapped in sleep. I turned slightly, careful not to disturb him, and let my eyes drink him in.
His hair was tousled, his lips slightly parted, and there was a calm in his expression that mirrored what I felt inside.
This man.
The same one I once signed a contract with, promising neither love nor emotional entanglement.
