Nicole’s POV
The room was steeped in darkness, save for the faint orange glow from the streetlamp outside slipping through the blinds. I stirred, disoriented, my eyelids fluttering open. My watch face read just past three in the morning. A familiar ache twisted in my chest as I noticed Nathan was not lying beside me. Instead, he sat hunched over on the edge of the bed, his broad back silhouetted against the dim light.
The sharp tang of whiskey hung in the air, mingling with the faint scent of his cologne. My heart squeezed painfully. If I could somehow shoulder his burdens, take every ounce of his pain and carry it myself, I would not hesitate. Watching him drown in it night after night was a torment I wouldn’t wish on anyone.
Shifting quietly, I rolled onto my side and wrapped my arms
