[Nadia’s POV]
{PRESENT}
I couldn’t sleep the entire night, crying half of the time as I thought about Aunt and how she had never let me know of her struggles. Hence the next day when I looked at myself in the mirror, I gasped at my appearance. Sunken eyes, cheeks crusted with tear tracks and disheveled hair.
I hurriedly washed up and got dressed. I didn’t want Derek to give another disapproving look and then start lecturing about how I was neglecting my health.
Packing a few necessities, I hitched my duffle bag on my shoulder, pocketed my phone, and slipped on the shoes. No sooner had I worn them, my doorbell rang.
I opened it promptly to find Derek standing, dressed casually unlike other days. As usual, he looked good, but maybe for the first time my heart didn’t skip a beat. Perh
