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Chapter 40

Author: Aurora Archer
last update Last Updated: 2024-10-29 19:42:56
I slept well that night. I focused on the lingering adrenaline as it left my body, and my exhaustion took over. Thankfully, it kept my nerves and thoughts of Ezra at bay.

I felt stiff when I woke, surprised that it was well past dawn. I hurried to get ready, but even rushing, Alice was already waiting for me when I left the bathroom.

I stifled a yawn and looked at her sheepishly. “I couldn’t sleep last night,” I explained.

She nodded in understanding and waited for me to sit and start on my hair. I had a thousand questions that bubbled up, but I suppressed them. Alice didn’t seem any different than normal, but she rarely did. I admired her steady composition and her slightly aloof behavior; it was grounding, it was something I could count on in a world of uncertainty, and for the first time, I realized I was grateful to her.

“What?” she asked. I realized I was smiling at her in the mirror, but I didn’t immediately erase it, I just let it fall slowly.

I blinked a few times and decide
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