Lucian went back to his room, but this time everything was different.
For the past sixteen days, he had been entering his room, but only to shower and change his clothes. He had not slept in his room for that number of days.
Sixteen long, restless days and the bed had remained untouched, perfectly made, waiting for a night that never came. The silence had always greeted him, thick and unmoving, pressing on his chest each time he lingered for too long. The walls, once familiar, had become cold. He hadn't been able to lie down, not when Serena lay unconscious in the other room.
Today, however, was different.
Today, she was awake.
And tonight, he was going to sleep in that room.
It felt like the strangest thing for him to do, almost unnatural. As though the part of him that had lived and breathed beside her had forgotten how to function on its own. And yet, despite the strangeness, the room now felt less like a prison and more like a place of rest again.
