Morning light filtered through the sheer curtains long before I fully woke. It painted the room in soft warm gold, gently nudging me out of sleep. I hadn’t expected to rest at all after everything that happened, but there I was, lying in a bed so comfortable it felt like it wanted to hold me in place indefinitely. My eyes blinked open slowly, the kind of slow that came from genuine exhaustion finally giving in.
I pushed myself up on my elbows, rubbing my face with both hands as reality settled back around me. Ray’s mansion. The balcony. His quiet presence beside me for hours. The offer he gave me—leave or stay. Freedom, but with its own kind of gravity.
A quiet knock sounded at the door.
I froze, shoulders tensed.
“Ali?” His voice was soft, almost hesitant. “Are you awake?”
I swallowe
