She closed her eyes, trying to breathe calmly, but she only managed to hear Caleb's voice again, deep, intense, so close it almost seemed like an echo inside her:
"Tell me, Madison... Do you really want me to stay away?"
And although she had remained silent... she knew her heart hadn't.
The hot water had been her refuge, her attempt to erase the invisible mark Caleb had left on her skin. But neither the steam, nor the soap, nor time was enough. The memory of his voice's caress remained stuck in her throat, burning slowly, like a forbidden secret.
Steam was still dancing in the air when Madison left the bathroom. The white towel clung to her damp body, barely slipping over her shoulder. In front of the mirror, she observed herself with a mixture of guilt and bewilderment: her reflection seemed like someone else's, someone who had just crossed a line without having touched it.
