EMILY
We got home a few hours after midnight. The house was dark and still, the only sound was the soft hum of the refrigerator and the occasional creak of the floorboards. Mia was already fast asleep, thank God. I couldn’t bear the thought of her waking up to see Nicholas like this and panic.
“You should get some rest, Emily,” Nicholas said quietly, already turning down the hallway toward his room.
I stood there for a second, watching his retreating form. My heart thudded in my chest. “Nicholas,” I called out.
He paused. His shoulders stiffened, but he didn’t turn around.
“Can I stay with you… just for tonight?”
A second passed, then another. The silence stretched for so long I was already bracing myself for rejection when he said,
“I can never say no to you, mia cara.”
Relief blo
