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He came up with nothing.

It didn’t make sense. He wasn’t a clueless or an oblivious person. He was usually fairly intuitive and perceptive about human nature. Eve wasn’t actively angry with him, but she was… something. And he was convinced it must be his fault since he was the one she was pulling away from.

He got hopeful as they reached the luxury hotel and were shown to their suite, which was ridiculously expensive and showcased an impressive view of the Pyramids. Her expression softened as she took in the lush surroundings and beautiful view. When he’d tipped the bellman, he joined Eve on the balcony, standing beside her and gazing out, unexpectedly emotional about crossing this item off his short bucket list.

He had so few left.

After a minute, she tilted her head up toward him, starting to smile. But as soon as her eyes focused on his face, she withdrew emotionally again. He saw it happen. Hesawit.

He had to bite back a groan of frustration. “Can’t you tell me what’s wrong?”

She gave a very small jerk, as if she were surprised by his mild question. “Nothing’s wrong. What do you mean?”

He barely managed not to roll his eyes. “Eve, I know something is bothering you. You’ve not been yourself all day.”

She took a step back and then shifted toward the view, purposefully turning away from him. “You’re imagining things. Maybe I haven’t been very talkative, but that doesn’t mean anything.”

“You’re quiet a lot, but you’re not like this. Why are you even trying to lie to me about it? Do you really believe I’m so clueless I can’t see that something is wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong,” she gritted out, not meeting his eyes.

He stepped over so he was in front of her. She was trying not to look at him, and he wanted her to really see him. “Stop lying. If you don’t want to tell me, that’s your choice, but at least don’t lie and tell me everything’s fine.”

She took a weird, shaky breath.

Hoping it might be a sign of relenting, he added, “Please tell me what I did.”

Her blue eyes widened. “You didn’t do anything!”

She looked so startled it was hard not to believe her. “Then what’s going on with you today? Eve, I need to know.”

“You do not need to know.”

At least she was finally admitting something was wrong. “Yes, I do. How can I help if I don’t even know what it is?”

“You can’t help, Jude.” She was really upset now. Her face was twisting slightly, as if she was on the verge of tears. “Can’t you just leave it alone?”

Before he could reply, she turned on her heel and hurried back into the suite. She moved through the living area and into the bedroom, closing the door behind her.

Jude made an exasperated, throaty sound and strode over to the closed door. “Eve!”

She answered from the other room. “I know I’m being irrational, but I’m allowed to be irrational occasionally. Can you please just leave me alone for a few minutes?” Her voice cracked on the last two words.

She was crying. She was in there crying, and he was supposed to stand out here and accept it. He honestly couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so outraged and frustrated.

“Fine,” he said, loud and thick. “You can have a few minutes. But I’m not okay with this.”

He stood in front of the door, breathing heavily and forcing himself to relax his hands and his shoulders. Then he was way too hot, so he took off his shoes, socks, and button-up shirt, leaving on only his trousers and undershirt. He retied his hair since strands were slipping out and bugging him, then went to the kitchen area and splashed water on his neck and face. Then he went back out to the balcony and practiced deep breathing until he’d fully calmed down from the crisis mode Eve’s behavior had thrown him into.

He kept his eye on his watch. When six minutes had passed, he walked back inside. By any definition, they’d now movedfrom a few to several minutes, so he was allowed to enter the bedroom.

The doorknob opened easily. At least she hadn’t locked him out.

He strode inside, prepared to be stubborn if she further resisted his presence. Something was wrong with Eve, and he needed to know what it was.

He was her husband. She was supposed to tell him these things. He was supposed to help her. Fix problems. Comfort her.

It was his job, and he thought he could be okay at it, but she wasn’t letting him do it.

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