Chapter 180

• The next morning, Anna woke to an empty bed. The sheets were still ruffled and a mess as if he’d just recently left them—or perhaps he hadn’t been here in hours. Anna reached out to touch his side of the bed and found it was as cold as she felt. None of his warmth remained.
• Quickly, she got up and dressed herself before another servant decided to come in and clean his room. She would never live down the shame of it all if that happened. No matter how comfortable she got with him, that shame would always remain deep inside her.
• She made the bed and picked up any traces of their night before she left the room. Only one guard was stationed outside his room, Anna ignored him completely as she hurried down the hall. It was better than trying to guess his thoughts about her.