All Chapters of Let Him Sleep: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

The house was so quiet I could have heard a pin hit the floor.On the way over, Graham Hollis had said that by the end of today, all of Harbor City would know he was marrying me.Now, because Lila was sleeping, no one was even allowed to speak above a whisper."Graham, cancel the wedding."The bitterness in my voice was swallowed by a soft sound from the bedroom."Graham? You're already here?"The moment he heard Lila, Graham walked past me."Sleep well?"Lila rubbed her eyes and nodded shyly."I've never been a bridesmaid before. I was so nervous last night. Thanks for staying on the phone with me until I fell asleep."Pain tightened across my chest.I'd been too nervous to sleep too.I had called Graham more than a dozen times.He'd replied only once, telling me to get some rest because the bride and groom shouldn't talk before the ceremony.Now I knew why.He'd spent the entire night on the phone soothing my sister to sleep.I stared at my unanswered calls in our cha

Chapter 2

Graham immediately pulled Lila into his arms.When I didn't react, he looked at me as if he genuinely couldn't understand me."Mara, what is wrong with you today? Do you have to make this ugly?"Mom shot me a disapproving look too."Apologize to your sister. She's fragile. If she cries like this, she'll pass out again."I let out a cold laugh and removed the bridal tiara from my hair.That was when Lila ran out.Graham's face changed.He went after her, and every car in the wedding party followed.The house became silent again.The decorations suddenly looked ridiculous.When Mom had decorated the house, the prettiest decorations had gone up in Lila's room."Maybe a happy occasion will snap her out of her sleeping problem," she'd said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.She never asked whether I wanted my wedding turned into something for Lila.Graham had even delayed the reception by two hours so she could take an afternoon nap.It had apparently never o

Chapter 3

I was halfway through packing when a notification appeared.I'd been removed from the project group chat.A coworker I was close to called me almost immediately, sighing before she even spoke."Management saw the news online. They're worried the scandal will damage the company's image, so they pulled you from the project."For a moment, I couldn't understand what she meant.Then the call ended, and the headline appeared.Two hours earlier, the internet had been tearing Lila apart for ruining her own sister's wedding.Mom had gone in front of cameras to defend her.Teary-eyed, she said I'd been jealous of Lila since childhood.She claimed I'd deliberately caused a scene at the wedding and said the person Graham had truly never been able to let go of was Lila.In the video, Graham stood beside her and didn't correct a single word.My fingers went white around the phone as I called him."Graham, you know I'm at the most important point of my promotion. Do you understand what t

Chapter 4

All three of them froze.To my surprise, Graham was the first to speak, a flicker of disgust in his eyes."Mara, even if a baby would interfere with your career, your promotion is already gone. Why would you do something like that now?"Lila already feels guilty. Do you have to invent something this cruel so she'll blame herself forever?"I gave a bitter laugh and met his eyes. I didn't say a word, but he was the one who looked away.Before the procedure, I'd thought I was ending the pregnancy because of work. Afterward, I understood the truth: I didn't want this baby because I simply didn't love Graham anymore.Mom's face hardened too."If anyone should leave, it's you. If you hadn't made a scene over every little thing today, none of this would have happened."It was pouring outside. Graham sighed, but he didn't stop me."When Lila feels better, you can come back."It was late, and the storm was so bad that I couldn't get a ride anywhere.Weak and aching, I dragged myself

Chapter 5

The station was packed.Graham heard the boarding announcement coming through his phone and his hand loosened around Lila's.She blinked and asked, "Graham? Boarding starts soon. If you have something important to do, you really don't have to come with me."He looked dazed for a second, then smiled at her."I promised I'd take you. I'm not backing out now."And he took her hand again.Graham didn't know what game Mara was playing, but this time, for some reason, he couldn't stop feeling uneasy.After they boarded, another passenger recognized Lila from the wedding story."You're the bride from the news, right? The one who fought for the man she loved?" the woman asked. "Going on your honeymoon?"Lila blushed and chatted with her.Then the woman said, "Don't worry. Your horrible sister's pregnancy is over. I performed the procedure myself."She can't use that baby to hold onto your husband anymore."Graham's eyes snapped open."What did you just say?"The woman stiffened.

Chapter 6

When Graham didn't answer, Lila kept talking."Mara really went too far. Ending the pregnancy without even telling you? She always says she loves you, but she clearly doesn't care about your feelings at all.""I'm the one who wronged Mara."Graham's voice was quiet, but so firm it made Lila stumble, and he didn't reach out to steady her.Stunned, she teared up."Graham... are you so upset you're not thinking straight? Why are you defending her?"When he remained cold, Lila switched tactics.She hugged his arm and yawned."I'm tired. Come sit down so I can lean on you."She started to lean against him, but this time, he pulled his arm away without a second thought.He fixed his eyes on her, and for the first time, he felt irritated with her.He was disgusted with himself, too. For years, he'd numbed what he felt for Lila into overprotectiveness."The seat reclines. Why do you have to sleep on me?"Lila burst into tears."Why are you suddenly treating me like this? Did Mara

Chapter 7

The moment I landed in Valmere, something inside me finally settled.The project lead met me at the airport, and I realized it was Elias Redfern. He'd been a couple of years ahead of me in college, and we'd lost touch years ago."It's been a long time," we said at the same moment.He didn't ask what had happened back home. Before he took my suitcase, he confirmed the terms one more time."Mara, this assignment is five years, and you can't leave the base. You still have time to turn around."Honestly, life doesn't give you that many five-year stretches."I nodded without hesitation.I'd already lost more five-year stretches than I could count, living for everyone but myself.This time, no matter what, I wasn't letting go.During those five years, Graham flew to Switzerland more times than he could count and tried everything before finally finding the project site. Even then, all he could do was stand helplessly outside the gate.When he refused to leave, Elias came to find me.

Chapter 8

Five years later, the project ended with remarkable results.My company offered to bring me back as an executive, but I declined.In five years, I'd built enough capital and enough confidence to understand what I actually wanted.So I started traveling the world, and only came home for Elias's birthday.At the bar that night, I went up onstage to sing for him."This one's for Elias."The intro began, and before I sang the first line, I spotted a familiar face in the crowd. Graham was watching me, his eyes wet.I wasn't surprised. I knew he'd never stopped looking for me. Five years had made him much thinner, but I didn't want to spare him another glance.The two-minute song came straight from the heart. It was about the people at the Valmere base and the friendship we had built through five years of isolation, pressure, and work.The last line went:"How many five-year stretches does life give us? I'm grateful we met!"Elias walked me outside afterward.Graham was blocking

Chapter 9

Lila dropped to her knees in front of me.I frowned and eyed her warily."What are you doing?"Before she could say a word, she started crying, clutching at my pants and refusing to let go."Mara, I knew you wouldn't really abandon Mom and me."I'm sorry. Please don't leave me."Mara, please..."No matter what apology came out of her mouth, I felt nothing.She was a mess, her hair tangled, her clothes reeking of grease and dish soap. Still, I didn't feel an ounce of pity.If I did, I'd be betraying the child I had been, and the woman I was five years ago, abandoned by everyone who should have stood by her.I watched her in silence for a long time.Then I said, "Maybe, if you hadn't abandoned me so many times."But that's not what happened."Her hands froze on the fabric.The memories seemed to reach her all at once.It hadn't only been the academic program she'd taken from me.Whenever our parents had wanted to take us both on a family outing, Lila would cry and throw t

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