The soft click of the door handle made Linda's heart lurch.
She turned toward the sound... and froze.
Alex stepped through the doorway. Her eyes locked on his, and in that instant, every trace of exhaustion, every worry of the past hours, seemed to vanish.
Warmth bloomed in her chest, her body responding as if recognizing something essential it had been missing. The room narrowed to him, the air thick with the weight of his presence.
For a split second, an overwhelming impulse surged through her... to cross the room and embrace him, to feel those strong arms around her again, to close the distance that felt both impossible and inevitable.
The urge was so powerful it almost moved her feet forward.
But Linda caught herself harshly, her hand gripping the back of Sarah's chair so tightly her knuckles went white.
"Pull yourself together," she told herself firmly.
