00:00warm enough his tone was steady but there was no mistaking the edge in it we'll manage she said
00:06tightening the blanket you should go he took one step closer let me help just for tonight
00:12she opened her mouth to refuse but the girl in her arms coughed a thin dry sound that cut through
00:18her resolve clara's jaw shifted she nodded once slow they rode in silence raft the heater turning
00:24the frost on their clothes into a faint dampness the twins leaned against her breathing evenly
00:29ethan kept his eyes on the road ahead his grip on the armrest measured but firm at the secondary
00:35penthouse he opened the door without speaking clara stepped in scanning the space not for luxury but
00:42for safety guest rooms down the hall he said it's warmer there her gaze met his for a brief charged
00:48moment thank you just for tonight just for tonight he repeated the elevator doors opened with a soft
00:56chime spilling warm light into the marble hallway ethan stepped out first his breath still sharp from
01:02the cold clara followed slowly one arm cradling her sleeping daughter the other guiding her son
01:08who clung to her coat this way ethan said quietly leading them down the hall to a corner suite
01:15he swiped his key card the door unlocking with a muted click the room was spacious but understated
01:21a deliberate choice for a guest space the hum of the central heating filled the silence clara set
01:28the little girl on the sofa then crouched to unlace her son's boots her movements efficient but careful
01:34ethan hesitated near the doorway in six years he had imagined a hundred ways they might meet again
01:40none of them look like this her in a worn coat two children pressed against her like she was the
01:46only
01:46safe place in the world there are clean towels in the bathroom he said his voice low i'll have some
01:53food sent up she didn't look at him thank you but just tonight ethan nodded though the words landed
02:01heavier than she meant them to a few minutes later room service arrived steaming bowls of chicken soup
02:07bread still warm from the oven mugs of hot cocoa crowned with melting marshmallows the
