Chapter 88

SEBASTIAN

“What a peaceful child!”

She fell asleep mid-sentence. One second she was teasing me about stealing her side of the bed; the next her breathing evened out… soft, steady, peaceful.

For a long time, I just lay there watching her. The city lights spilled through the curtains, brushing faint gold across her cheek. Every trace of exhaustion, of stubbornness, and even the sharp edges of her sarcasm had faded. In their place was someone who looked far too breakable.

So this is what being in love looks like. If truly this is it, I want to spend the remaining days of my life like this.

I told myself to sleep. I didn’t.

The room was too warm, or maybe it was me. I kicked the covers off, tugged at my shirt, and finally gave up, tossing it onto the chair. I’d never been able to sleep properly with it on anyway.

It must have been minutes later when I felt something on my skin, a light touch against my stomach.

I opened my eyes to find