All Chapters of Sleepwalking Her Way Into My Relationship: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

Winnie Lane's POVThe notification about my transfer came through. I would be leaving in seven days. I didn't go back to the guest room. The mattress in there was too soft, and with my bad back, sleeping on it was out of the question. Zane Shaw had replaced it for Mia Zimmer. The morning after Mia sleepwalked and somehow ended up outside our front door, he'd ordered the new mattress without a second thought. Even back then, he'd already been making sure that whenever Mia stayed over, she would have somewhere comfortable to sleep.So I stayed in the living room instead, while a strip of warm yellow light spilled from beneath the master bedroom door. My eyes drifted over the things scattered around the room. So many of them were unfamiliar to me. They all belonged to Mia.The one that stood out the most was the pair of pink bunny slippers tucked inside the shoe cabinet.Zane had gone out in the pouring rain just to buy them for her.That day, Mia had shown up at our door

Chapter 2

Winnie Lane's POVI packed only the essentials, then headed out for some air once the rain had eased up.By the time I got home that evening, Zane was already there. He was busy clearing out the guest room, with two cardboard boxes stacked in the hallway outside.I walked over, frowning. "What are you doing?"He didn't even look up. "Getting the guest room ready. Mia's going to stay with us for a while."I froze. For a moment, I genuinely forgot how to breathe. It took me several seconds to find my voice again."How long?""Until she gets better.""And what if she doesn't?"Zane dragged a hand through his hair in frustration before finally turning to face me. "Winnie, what exactly are you trying to say?""What if I say no?"Zane went silent. Then he took a step back, leaving the doorway clear.I stared into the guest room he'd completely redone, taking in the new rug, the bedside lamp, and the few potted plants he'd carefully arranged.He'd thought of everything.That tol

Chapter 3

Winnie Lane's POVThat night, Mia showed up at our door again with her eyes closed. But her lashes were trembling from excitement.She was still pretending to sleepwalk, determined to keep the whole charade going. Zane was more than willing to play along.The moment the door opened, Mia walked inside as if she owned the place.She found her slippers and made her way toward the guest room, every step and every movement carried out with her eyes carefully shut, as though she'd rehearsed the routine a hundred times.Still pretending to feel her way around, Mia reached out and brushed against a small ornament hanging on the wall.It fell.The ornament hit the floor and shattered into several pieces.A shard skittered across the floor and nicked Mia's leg.She screamed, her eyes flying open as she jolted fully awake.Zane rushed over and crouched beside Mia, carefully checking her leg. "Where are you hurt?"Tears welled in Mia's eyes as she stared at the thin trail of blood runni

Chapter 4

Winnie Lane's POVAfter the call ended, my mind was still completely blank. I called a cab and rushed to the hospital as fast as I could.When I entered Grandma's room, Mom was kneeling beside the bed, clutching Grandma's frail hand and sobbing so hard that she could barely breathe.My feet felt like they were made of lead.I forced myself forward, one heavy step at a time, until I finally reached Grandma's bedside.She slowly lifted one hand and weakly beckoned me closer. I took her hand and pressed it against my cheek as my tears slipped into her palm.Grandma looked at me, and there was still a faint spark in her eyes. It was something almost hopeful. "Winnie, did you bring the pendant? And where's Zane? Didn't he come with you?"I looked at her and opened my mouth, but no words came out. Somehow, I managed to force a smile. It probably looked worse than a frown."I forgot the pendant, Grandma. I left in such a hurry. Zane had something important come up today, so he couldn'

Chapter 5

Third-Person POVZane hurried back to the ER. Mia was sitting exactly where he'd left her. The bleeding had already stopped, and the cut was so minor that she didn't even need a bandage.Zane looked at the freshly cleaned wound. It was barely more than a scratch.He frowned and said, "I thought you said you needed stitches."The doctor gave him a strange look, then glanced at Mia's leg and let out a short laugh. "Stitches? For that? Give it another two minutes, and it'll practically heal itself."Mia's face went a shade paler. She looked up at Zane. "I'm sorry. I was just so scared that I must've misunderstood what they said."Zane didn't respond, though his expression gave nothing away. Mia couldn't tell whether he believed her or not.Zane turned to leave without saying another word. He wanted to go back upstairs and see Winnie's grandmother, Connie Pott, again. At the very least, he owed her a proper answer.But Mia caught hold of his sleeve, her eyes wide and anxious. "Zane

Chapter 6

Third-Person POVBut one question drowned out everything else in Zane's head."Don't you want to marry Winnie?"Zane didn't even have to think about the answer. Of course he did. He always had. Just not now. And not on the sixth of October.The problem was, he couldn't explain why. He wondered if it was because of Mia. He had to admit that when Mia first showed up at his door, claiming she'd sleepwalked all the way there, his feelings had been complicated.Maybe he'd simply been caught off guard when he realized Mia still had feelings for him. It had surprised him. Nothing more.Every boundary he'd let her cross after that, Zane had dismissed as his own inability to be cruel to her.Even after he found out the sleepwalking had been a lie, all it had taken was one quiet confession from Mia, and he'd softened again."I can't sleep when you're not there," she had said.But Zane knew exactly what that softness was. It wasn't old feelings coming back. It wasn't love. It wasn't ev

Chapter 7

Third-Person POVZane had no idea how long he stood there. Eventually, he made his way to the nurses' station and enquired about Connie. Only then did the last shred of denial disappear.Connie really was gone.By the time he returned home, he was barely aware of how he'd gotten there.He sank onto the couch, pulled out his phone, messaging Winnie over and over again."Winnie, I'm sorry. I didn't know about Connie."Winnie, where are you? Please talk to me, please."He sent message after message, but not a single message went through.None of his apologies were reaching her. Not a single word.Some time later, Mia arrived. The front door had been left unlocked, so she let herself in.Zane was still sitting on the couch, staring blankly ahead.His gaze was hollow.Mia walked into the room and approached him, but he didn't so much as glance in her direction—not when she came in, not when she called his name, and not even when she stopped beside him.It wasn't until she start

Chapter 8

Winnie Lane's POVBy the time my plane landed in Grelton, the broken pieces of Grandma's pendant were still tucked safely in my pocket. They were the last thing she'd left me.Her funeral was in seven days, which gave me barely enough time to get settled at my new job before flying home again.The week passed in a blur.I completed the onboarding process, familiarized myself with my new role, and found an apartment as quickly as I could.The afternoon I signed the lease, I headed straight for the airport and caught a flight home.When I saw Mom again, my heart ached.She looked exhausted after handling all the funeral arrangements on her own, yet somehow, she was still the one smiling and reassuring me."I'm fine," she said. "Did you get everything sorted out in Grelton?"I nodded, then joined her in taking care of everything that still needed to be done.Many people came to Grandma's funeral—family near and far, old friends, and people whose lives she'd touched over the year

Chapter 9

Winnie Lane's POVTime passed quickly. Before I knew it, I'd been in Grelton for more than three months.By then, both my work and my life had settled into a comfortable rhythm. The past was slowly being buried beneath new routines, new places, and new memories.Until one evening, when I stepped out of the studio after work and saw Zane.He was standing a short distance away, his eyes fixed on the entrance as though he were afraid to look away for even a second.The moment he saw me, something shifted in his expression. There were too many emotions at once for me to make sense of any of them.I stopped walking.I didn't approach him. I simply stood where I was and waited.Zane came toward me instead, but stopped several feet away.He'd lost a lot of weight.The expensive coats he used to wear had been replaced by one that looked old and worn, and the luxury watches that had once been a permanent fixture on his wrist were gone.A friend back home had messaged me a while ago t

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