The silence in my bedroom stretches between us like a chasm. Chloe's sobs echo off the high ceilings, each sound more desperate than the last. Mia hovers nearby, clearly uncomfortable with the raw emotion filling the space.
"Chloe," Mia whispers, reaching for her friend's shoulder. "We should go. You've seen enough."
But Chloe shakes her head violently, mascara-streaked tears dripping onto my silk bedspread. "No. I can't leave. Not like this."
She looks up at me with swollen, red-rimmed eyes. The perfectly composed woman who walked into my penthouse hours ago has completely shattered. What remains is something broken and desperate.
"Noah, please," she breathes. "Just listen to me. Really listen."
"I've been listening all evening," I reply coolly. "And everything you've said has only confirmed what I already knew about you."
She flinches at my words but doesn't retreat. Instead, she stands on trembling legs, moving closer to where I stand by the window.
