Chapter 29

Chloe’s POV

I woke up with a restless feeling clinging to my skin, the kind that made it impossible to stay still. The room was dim, the curtains barely letting in the first hint of morning light. The house was quiet, but not truly silent. There was always sound here. A faint hum from the electricity. Soft footsteps in the distance. A door opening and closing somewhere downstairs.

This place never fully slept.

I lay on my back and stared at the ceiling, tracing familiar cracks with my eyes. I had memorized them by now. That alone scared me.

I reached for my phone.

Drake had not replied.

My jaw tightened as I scrolled through the last messages. Nothing new. No response. No reassurance. Just silence sitting heavy between us.

I checked the time. Too early to accuse him of ignoring me. Too late to pretend I was not waiting.

I rolled onto my side and hugged the pillow, pressing my face into it for a moment before pulling away in frus