One morning in the estate. Cristine stirred, her eyes fluttering open to find Andrei already awake, propped up on an elbow, watching her. There was a tenderness in his gaze that made her heart skip a beat. He's been sleeping at her side for weeks now.
"Good morning," she murmured, her voice still thick with sleep.
"Good morning," Andrei replied, leaning down to place a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Did you sleep well?"
Cristine nodded, stretching slightly. "Better than I have in a while. You?"
Andrei hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, I did."
It was a small lie. He'd spent most of the night thinking about Catalina, the investigation, and the weight of protecting Cristine from the chaos surrounding his family. But he didn't want to burden her with those thoughts.
Cristine
