*Noah*

The next day, I sat with Zara as she lay there, feeling quite ill in bed. She’d had time to think things over and remained unhappy.

“Noah,” she sighed. “I know you’re doing your best to help, and I appreciate it. But what if this charade goes too far?” she asked. “Everything is happening so fast.”

“I know,” I said, trying to get a handle on things, but failing. The stress was weighing on me too, but I knew I would sure as hell ...