I didn’t sleep.
The night stretched endlessly, each hour slipping by as I lay awake, staring at the faint outline of the ceiling, listening to the wind brush against the balcony doors. Nathan’s voice echoed in my thoughts—not the words themselves, but the tension behind them. The way he’d said," You’re safe here," as if safety were something he had to guard with his own body.
I turned onto my side, then back again.
What if he leaves without saying goodbye?
What if someone comes looking for him?
What if I wake up, and he’s already gone?
Every question twisted deeper into my chest, until I realized something quietly devastating: I was already grieving something that hadn’t ended yet.
At some point, the sky began to pale. Dawn crept in softly, painting the edges of the room in muted go
