The room was dark except for the faint glow of the security lights coming in through the curtains.
Nikolai had finally managed to fall asleep around four in the morning after hours of pacing, thinking, and replaying the events of the last few days in his head. His body was heavy with exhaustion, his mind still restless beneath the veil of sleep.
The sound of vibration of his phone cut through the silence. His hand shot out automatically, fumbling for it on the nightstand. He pressed the phone to his ear, voice rough with sleep.
“Hello?”
There was a beat of silence… and then a voice he knew instantly. A voice he desperately needed to hear.
“Hello? Nikolai,” Violet whispered.
His eyes snapped open immediately, and in an instant, he was fully awake, sitting up so fast the sheets tangled
