A cough.
It sliced through the quiet intimacy of the moment, sharp and deliberate—so perfectly timed it couldn't possibly have been accidental.
Lira's entire body stiffened at the sound, jolting subtly as though an electric current had passed through her. The delicate warmth of her hand vanished from his own in an instant, leaving behind a cold emptiness that felt oddly more pronounced than before they'd touched. She rose swiftly from the bedside, her movements regaining their usual practiced elegance, though Mikhailis noticed a faint hint of hurried embarrassment in the rapidity of her actions.
