Chapter 159

• Alaria:
• The morning came gray and heavy, light filtering through the narrow window like it was reluctant to enter. I’d barely slept. I knew that even if I dozed off, it was because I was exhausted, not because I wanted to.
• Every sound, the shuffle of maids outside, the rustle of sheets, even the soft breathing from Anastasia beside me, kept me tethered to wakefulness. It reminded me that I was not where I was supposed to be, and despite everything, that I was going to need to find a proper solution before things got out of hand.