Chapter 14: Five minutes

When I awoke the next morning, I was surprised to find that Nicholas was not in the same spot I’d left him the prior night and the little sleeping pile he’d made had been tidied up. Part of me was glad that his face would not be the first I’d have to wake up to, especially after everything that had happened last night. Just thinking about it had my cheeks blushing. I couldn’t believe just how far my body was willing to go to betray me. But more importantly, I couldn’t believe how drastically Nicholas’ behaviour had changed. It was as though he’d changed into someone completely different− familiar, but different.

After a while I decided to finally get myself out of bed. If I’d recalled correctly, today we’d be having that anxiously awaited family meeting where Aura would most likely decide my fate going forward. I gave out a long, miserable sigh and then made my way to the stack of suitcases at the side of the room, eager to get myself warm in the shower. Unfortunately, my clothing b