I didn’t sleep at all.Lying on my back, I watched the ceiling fade from black to gray, counting familiar cracks I knew by heart. Every time I closed my eyes, my mind filled with my mother’s face in the ICU, pale, still, machines breathing for her. After a while, I stopped trying. Lying there with my eyes closed wasn’t rest anyway.At six, the alarm sounded unnecessary. I turned it off and sat up, stiff and slow, my body lagging behind my thoughts.Sebastian’s number was already on my screen. I must have pulled it up before dawn, when focusing on details felt safer than feeling anything at all.I stared at the screen longer than needed before pressing call.It rang once.“Mr. Ryn,” Sebastian said, alert, as if he’d been waiting. “I wasn’t sure you’d call.”“I will,” I said, surprising myself with a steady voice. “I’ll do it. I’ll marry him.”He didn’t answer right away. When he did, his voice sounded different.“I’ll send a car at seven. Pack only essentials, clothes, and personal ite
Last Updated : 2026-01-18 Read more