The morning came too early.

Amelia woke to the gray light bleeding through the curtains, that dull kind of daylight that never feels like morning at all, more like a reminder that you didn’t really sleep. She turned over, expecting to find Alexander beside her, but the bed was cold.

The ache in her chest came fast. She sat up, hair falling messily over her face, and listened to the faint hum of the fridge, the ticking of the clock, and the sound of running water somewhere in the suite. He was ...