“They noticed some unusual login attempts from our home IP address.”

He stepped closer to me, his shadow falling over my face.

The smell of his expensive aftershave mixed with the rich scent of the beef.

“Are you having trouble with your password, Clara?”

“I think I forgot it,” I lied.

“Don’t worry,” he said, his voice dropping to a soft, low register.

“I took care of it. I updated the security settings to keep the site safe from hackers.”

He reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

His fingers were cold against my skin.

“I do everything to keep us safe,” he whispered.

I stood frozen, unable to pull away from his touch.

Outside, the wind howled, shaking the heavy branches of the oak trees in the yard.

The kitchen lights flickered once, then twice, before stabilizing.

“Why don’t you set the table?” Julian suggested.

He walked over to the refrigerator and opened it to get a bottle of wine.

I moved toward the dining room cabinet to get the plates.

My mind was racing, trying to figure out how to get to another device.