The hum of the engine filled the car, a low, steady growl that did nothing to ease the tension thickening the air between them. Ethan's hands tightened on the steering wheel, his knuckles whitening as his gaze flicked toward Mara. She sat motionless, her silhouette framed by the blur of passing streetlights, her face turned away, staring into the void beyond the window. The silence was deafening, unnerving—a stark contrast to the storm he had expected.
"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice cutting through the quiet like a blade, sharp and urgent. He couldn't help himself; the words tumbled out, raw and unpolished. "You're unusually quiet, and that's… worrying." His eyes darted back to the road, but his mind stayed fixed on her, on the eerie stillness that clung to her like a shroud.
