I should have gone to sleep.
That would have been the normal thing to do. Go back to the room, take off the dress, wash off the makeup, pretend this was just another night.
But nothing about this felt normal.
So instead, I stood by the window.
Again.
The city stretched out beneath me, lights flickering in the distance, people living lives that had nothing to do with contracts, power, or forced marriages.
I used to be one of them.
That thought sat heavy in my chest.
A soft knock broke the silence.
I didn’t turn.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and I already knew it was him before he spoke.
“You’re awake.”
I let out a quiet breath. “So are you.”
His footsteps were slow, measured, as he moved into the room. I could feel him behind me without even looking. That same presence. That sa
