Julian
A faint, knowing smile pulled at the corner of my lips in the dark.
Her breath was hitching in her chest, her body locked so tight against the mattress she might as well have been made of stone. It was so obvious she wasn’t asleep, but I wasn't going to press her. She had already survived enough hell for one night.
I reached across the dark space, carefully pulling the heavy duvet up over her shoulders, making sure she was fully covered. I settled back onto my side of the bed, closed my eyes, and let the quiet rhythm of her breathing carry me off to sleep.
When I opened my eyes the next morning, the space beside me was cold and empty.
I sat up, scanning the sunlit room. She was gone.
A small white piece of paper sat on the nightstand beside my phone. I reached over and picked
