Victoria's POV
The ride home was quiet, but the silence was heavy, thick with the silent tension that had simmered between us all evening. Dominic's presence was almost suffocating, though not in an unpleasant way—it was the kind of weight that demanded to be felt, that refused to be ignored.
I sat with my hands neatly folded in my lap, my eyes fixed on the road ahead. Every now and then, I felt his gaze flicker to me, a brief but unmistakable touch that made my stomach clench. My heart hadn't stopped racing since the moment he'd bought me the gemstone.
What did it mean? Why had he done it? The questions churned in my mind, but I couldn't bring myself to voice them.
The car slowed as we approached my building, the soft purr of the engine cutting off as he pulled to a stop. I reached for the door handle, desperate to escape the whirlwind of emotions that Dominic seemed to stir in me, but before I could step out, he was already moving.