Chapter 23
Sydney had always done everything alone. It was how she had been raised—independent, self-sufficient, and resolutely distant. From a young age, she had learned that asking for help was a vulnerability she couldn't afford. She was a daughter who never demanded anything from anyone, and who never relied on others for her survival. She had been the woman who healed herself in silence, mending broken pieces with the cold comfort of solitude. In her world, there was no room for weakness, and there was certainly no space for dependence on others. But now... now was different. Now, Sydney was teetering on the edge of something she couldn't control, something she had never allowed herself to acknowledge—needing someone. Alan. She could still feel him in her bones, his presence lingering in the d
- Writer
