Nora set her alarm for five o’clock.
The moment it rang, she was wide awake.
She slipped out of bed as quietly as she could, but Daniel reached out and pulled her back into his arms.
“What are you doing?” he mumbled, his voice rough with sleep.
Nora tried to free her wrist, but his grip was firm. She could only explain, “I want to check on Payne. If he wakes up and doesn’t see me, he might get upset.”
Daniel didn’t let go. “Louis is with him.”
Nora fell silent for a few seconds. Her voice was as heavy as the shadows in the room. “Daniel, he’s just a child.”
Did Daniel really have to make an issue out of this too?
In the dim light, Daniel studied the cool expression on her face, a frown creasing his brow. He looked impatient, but finally, he released her hand.
The master bedroom door opened, then shut softly.
Daniel covered his eyes with one hand, but what bothered him had never been Payne.
Nora tiptoed across the hall and quietly opened another door. Inside, she saw Louis sitting upright at the head of the bed, already dressed and looking perfectly composed, as if he’d been up for hours.
Nora knew he was only up and dressed because he anticipated her visit and didn’t want her to feel awkward.
She sat down at the head of the bed as well.
Louis turned to her. “He actually let you come over?”
Nora stroked Payne’s chubby cheek. “That’s my business, not his.”
Louis chuckled quietly. “You’re still as stubborn as ever.”
Nora paused, her hand midair. “You remember that?”
He had said those exact words once before.
“I remember a little,” Louis admitted.
After hearing from Mrs. Winters about what happened three years ago, Louis had gone back to the hospital for another check-up. The doctors said the blood clot in his brain hadn’t fully dissolved, and he’d started taking medication again. Sometimes, bits and pieces of the past would come back to him, but strangely, every memory seemed to involve Nora—never Aurora.
Nora gently patted Payne, then changed the subject to Louis’s work. “How’s everything going?”


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