Chapter 194

Alyssa POV

My skin prickles the second I wake up.

They’re gone. I know it without even opening my eyes.

The house is too quiet—the kind of quiet that doesn’t settle so much as it waits. The sheets beside me are cold, like they’ve been empty for hours.

Like King waited for me to fall asleep... and then slipped out the second I did.

I’m not surprised.

I knew we only had a few hours. But still. No matter how much time I spent holding them, kissing them, memorizing every line on their faces—it wouldn’t have been enough.

I said goodbye to Niko and Mason before they left with Carol and Martin. Told them I loved them with every fiber of my being. And King... the way he asked me to sing for him before he made love to me—it felt like it was his version of a farewell.

In case it needed to be.

I slip on the shirt King left crumpled near the bed, the fabric still clinging to his scent.

For a second, I consider going back to slee