Emily woke before the alarm clock even rang. The dim pre-dawn light lay softly on the bedroom walls, staining them an ashy gray. A strange mixture of anticipation and anxiety hung in the air. She lay staring at the ceiling for a while, as if trying to feel what was bothering her. Everything was ready: clothes ironed, suitcase by the door, chargers packed, papers in place. And yet something inside tingled like an unresolved question.

In the kitchen, she poured herself a cup of tea slowly, without much enthusiasm. The flavor seemed bland, like everything else this day. She put on a simple but elegant ivory coat and tied her scarf, trying not to look at her reflection in the mirror. Only a slight tremor in her fingers gave away her nerves.

When the car pulled up in front of the house downstairs, Emily wasn't surprised-surely Sebastian would come in person. That was his style-silently, without discussion, with clear determination.

He stepped out of the car, tall, confident, as if part of the cold morning wind. He wore an impeccably fitting dark coat and a gray scarf thrown carelessly over his collar. In his hands were two coffees in cardboard glasses. He held one out to her, barely saying a word, only smiling faintly.

- Thank you," she whispered, touching his gloved fingers. The touch was fleeting, but the tension was palpable.

The cabin was warm, smelling of leather and the faint scent of musk. They drove in silence, the streets of New York receding slowly outside the windows, becoming the gray-green backdrop of early morning. Sebastian drove without distraction. Only occasionally did his eyes glide over the mirrors with the kind of intense attention that seemed to transcend the road.

Emily stole glances at his profile-the sharp cheekbones, the compressed lips, the gaze fixed on the horizon. He looked collected, but some sort of storm lived beneath the surface. His right hand gripped the steering wheel a little harder than usual. The fingers turned white with the effort.

- Are you nervous? - She asked softly, breaking the silence.

He gave her a brief glance and blew out his nose, almost grinning:

- I just don't like Boston.

- Why?

- Because there's too much of the past there. And I prefer to look forward.

He said it mundanely, but there was an almost imperceptible crack in his voice. Emily was silent, feeling something invisible in him take a step back. It seemed to her that she was nearing some kind of boundary-but she didn't dare cross it yet.

Boston was ahead, and with it, more than just the auction and business negotiations. There were ghosts waiting for them there - his, perhaps hers. But she didn't know then how deeply they would penetrate their lives.

Boston greeted them with dark, gray skies and air saturated with the salt and dampness of the Atlantic. The city seemed older than New York, calmer, but there was a heaviness in that calmness-as if the streets remembered too much. Emily could feel Sebastian growing more and more silent with each new street, each turn of ancient architecture.

They stayed in a small but respectable hotel in the historic district. The walls were decorated with paintings by local artists, and there was an antique fireplace in the lobby with a crackling fire. Everything breathed an aged, not ostentatious nobility.

- We need to be at the auction by six," Sebastian said dryly, checking his watch. - You'll have time to rest.

- Thank you," she replied shortly, and when he left for the next room, she was alone in the silence. Something was gnawing at her from the inside. Sebastian was near, and yet it was like he was somewhere far away.

The auction was held in the building of a former shipyard, converted into a cultural center. Inside there was an atmosphere of luxury and restrained nervousness. People in expensive coats were talking, rustling catalogs, looking at the exhibits.

Sebastian looked as impeccable as ever. But there was an elusive wariness in his gaze, in his gait. It was as if he were waiting for something-or someone.

They were walking along the walls, looking at the paintings, when suddenly a woman's voice came from behind them:

- Sebastian?

He turned around. Emily did the same - and saw a woman in her mid-forties, with perfect styling, pronounced charisma, and a slightly mocking smile. She wore an evening dress the color of old wine, thin earrings, and a slight scent of expensive perfume that Emily instantly wanted to fight, if only mentally.

- Jacqueline," Sebastian said after a short pause. His voice was steady, but Emily couldn't help but notice how his jaw clenched for a split second.

- It's been a long time," the woman squinted. - Over three years, to be exact.

- Forever," he remarked dryly.

Jacqueline shifted her gaze to Emily.

- And you must be his new muse? An artist? Or... something more?

- Emily. I'm the curator of Aurum & Co," she said calmly, tilting her head slightly but not taking a step back.

- Charming," Jacqueline nodded, and her smile turned a little predatory.

In that moment, Emily realized: this woman wasn't just from the past. She was a pain. Perhaps the first. Perhaps the only one Sebastian couldn't leave unscarred.

They stepped back. Sebastian didn't say a word until they were back at the hotel. Only when the room door slammed shut behind them did he speak softly:

- I'm sorry. I didn't know she was coming.

- You didn't have to," Emily replied.

- She was part of another life. One that I don't want to remember.

- But it exists. Everything we hide comes out, Sebastian. And I want to know who you were, not just who you've become.

He looked at her for a long moment, as if weighing each word, and then whispered:

- What if I'm afraid you won't like the truth?

She stepped closer and put her hand on his chest, feeling his heart pounding beneath her:

- Then trust me enough to try.

Outside, the wind was beating against the windows, the streets were empty, like the scene after the final act. The room was silent - shaky, imbued with something more than just fatigue from the road and the long day.

Emily sat on the windowsill, wrapped in a blanket, with a cup of herbal tea. Sebastian was wearing a white cotton hotel robe. He watched her reflection in the window in silence.

- Do you often get like this? - She asked suddenly.

- Like what?

- Cold. Closed. Like you have your hand on the door, ready to leave.

He didn't answer right away. He came over, stood beside her. Their reflections in the glass were like two ghosts, translucent, shaky.

- Once I left everything I loved," he said quietly. - Art saved me. Not right away. And I swore I would never allow myself to be vulnerable again. Not to women. Not to life.

- But you're already vulnerable, Sebastian," she whispered. - Now that you're here. With me.

He closed his eyes. Quietly. On a breath.

- Too vulnerable," he admitted. - Too alive around you.

She touched his face. He caught her palm and pressed it to his lips as if to something sacred. Then, slowly, as if afraid to shatter the fragility of the moment, he ran his hand down her cheek, down her neck... leaned in, and their foreheads joined.

- Emily..." He said only that, but his voice had everything in it: desire, fear, longing for intimacy.

She kissed him back, tentative but full of tension, as if that touch was deciding the fate of something more than just their bodies. The kiss grew deeper. He lifted her in his arms, carried her to the bed.

And everything that happened next seemed to happen out of time. There were no loud words, no promises-just skin to skin, breathing in unison, fingers seeking support, and gazes that reflected the silence of years of loneliness, finally broken.

In the darkness, their bodies found each other like islands that had forgotten what it meant to be whole. It wasn't just desire - it was something more. A fusion of two worlds finally deciding to come closer - despite the fear, despite the past.

When it was over and they were lying side by side, Emily ran her finger along his collarbone and whispered:

- I'm afraid of losing you.

Sebastian smiled quietly and replied:

- And I of losing you. That's why it all feels so real.

And for the first time in a long time, he didn't fall asleep alone.