Chapter 7 - ICE AND FIRE
The penthouse at the top of the Silvercrest tower was a sprawling masterpiece of glass, steel, and cold perfection. For the first two weeks, they lived like ghosts haunting the same mansion. Gideon left early and came back late. Abini spent her days reading in the library, suffocated by the luxury.
But the ice began to crack in the quiet hours. One night, Gideon found her in the kitchen at 2:00 AM, desperately trying to cook a traditional stew to curb her cravings. Instead of ordering her back to bed, he rolled up his sleeves, took a knife, and awkwardly helped her chop onions. They ate in silence on the marble island, the distance between them shrinking by a fraction of an inch. He began to ask about her day. He started leaving a fresh glass of water on her nightstand. The cold arrangement was slowly catching fire, transforming into a fragile, unspoken domesticity that terrified them both.
