The next morning, sunlight crept gently into the room, casting pale lines across the tangled sheets. Kathy blinked awake, feeling the uncomfortable tightness of her skin—dry and salty from the tears she had shed the night before. She remembered how her sobs had finally faded into exhausted sleep, the emotional ache lingering as a dull weight in her chest.
She shifted slightly, her first instinct to reach for a glass of water or maybe to wash her face, hoping the coolness would soothe away the remnants of yesterday’s pain. But as she looked up, she saw Anthony, still deep in slumber beside her, his arm draped protectively around her waist. His breathing was slow and peaceful, a stark contrast to the turmoil still stirring inside her.
Curiosity and affection mingled as Kathy reached out an
