'Wait… what?' Zara's heart skipped a beat. 'Did I hear that right?' Her whole body tensed.
Nathaniel, the man who practically breathed work, just offered to skip the office to stay with her?
It didn't compute.
This was the same man she used to fantasize about spending a simple day with. She had dreamed of him walking beside her through crowded malls, sharing quiet dinners, and stargazing with fingers intertwined on a quiet night. But for the past five years, that dream had lived only in her head. Reality had been a cold office, endless meetings, and his distant, unreachable presence.
Now, here he was, wanting to spend the whole day with her.
And she didn't know how to respond.
'What would be the point?' a cynical voice inside her whispered. 'Even if he stays, he'll just turn the bedroom into another office like he did at the hospital.'
The warmth that had started to rise in her chest flickered out. Her shoulders slumped slightly, and her eyes dropped.
