Sophia
I didn’t realize how exhausted I was until I had fallen asleep while talking to Max. He helped to the bed Mrs. Ross has recently sent to her.
The next morning came slowly, the pale light of dawn creeping across the floorboards like a quiet secret.
I sat by the window, wrapped in a thin shawl, watching the mist rise over the fields.
The night had been long, restless, full of thoughts I couldn’t silence.
Max had fallen asleep on the couch across the room, still wearing the clothes from the night before.
He had stayed up with me until I finally stopped crying, until my body gave in to exhaustion. He hadn’t left my side once.
And for that, I was grateful, more than words could ever say.
As I looked at him now, his chest rising and falling steadily, I felt a small pang in my
