CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: OH NO NO NO!

Dev awoke with a start like he’d been jerked from a profound dreamless sleep, something which had always eluded him in the past. Then, something that he could feel even in his deep subconscious had changed.

Ana was gone.

For a panicked moment, a feeling of abject desolation gripped him as he fumbled in the empty sheets trying to get his bearings. He felt like that lost teenager once again caught up in indecision and despair, struggling to adjust to the cruel reality of life.

What appalled him was that Ana had left despite the beautiful intimacy they’d shared, making a point to turn into something sleazy and cheap. Not because she was aiming for retribution – no, that was not in her nature, but she was most probably trying to protect herself from him.

From the monster he was.

Completely wretched, he could only stare blankly at the wall, trying to figure out his next move. How could he offer any future to Ana when he could not even forgive himself? Then, her words from the previous migh