ROWAN
Since when have I had a good night’s sleep like this? Probably never.
Not once in all the years I could remember. My nights had always been poisoned—restless, haunted, full of shadows that stayed with me even when my eyes were closed.
When I was younger, it was the nightmares of comparison. I felt like I was never enough. Sometimes, I wondered what it would feel like if Elijah was gone. However, the day he actually died, the nightmares grew even more monstrous. I missed him so much that I wanted it to be me instead.
When I met Ellana, the nights shifted. They were filled with a different fear—the gnawing doubt that she would leave and that she never truly loved me. I would lie awake next to her, looking at her, wondering if she was already planning her escape.
And when Tessa l
