Chapter 66 The Last Night

• Rania stood at the window of Aleksander's bedroom, gazing into the darkness of the night stretching out beyond, her mind still full of the decision she had just made in silence, a decision she had not yet told anyone, not even the man now stepping closer behind her.
• She pressed her temple lightly, the mild dizziness that had struck her several times over the past week returning, something she had always blamed on lack of sleep and the enormous pressure since this series of crises began. Since the night of Arkan and Isabel's engagement a few weeks ago, she and Aleksander had spent several nights together in a warmth that was utterly sincere, yet not once had it occurred to her that the exhaustion that kept dogging her body, or her suddenly shifting moods lately, might hold a meaning far greater than ordinary stress.
• “You've been quiet too long,” Aleksander whispered, his arms circling her waist from behind, his chin resting gently on Rania's shoulder. “What is it?”