Chapter 22

Chapter 22. There was a disturbing sense of anxiety. Liora realized it on their third morning in the city when she woke up without her heart racing, without her hands reflexively reaching for her phone, without her mind immediately jumping to the worst-case scenario. Sunlight streamed through the thin curtains, reflecting a soft glow on the finely cracked walls. For a moment, life felt... normal. The feeling made her chest tighten. In the small room that served as both kitchen and dining room, Nolan sat on a chair, his feet not touching the floor. He swung his legs as he arranged slices of bread on a plate, a task he had assigned himself. There was a knock on the door, twice, the rhythm calm, unhurried. Liora recognized the knock well. Damien entered carrying two paper bags filled with groceries. He wasn't dressed formally that day. A simple shirt, sleeves rolled up, no jacket. Too casual for a man who usually looked like he belonged to a world that never rested. "I bought low-lactose