I would wake to the sound of her creeping into the room, boldly slipping under the covers beside Ruslan.
When he stirred and noticed her, his voice would drop into a frantic whisper.
“Are you out of your mind? Aurelle is right here!” he hissed, panic etched into every word.
But Thea would cling to him like ivy, her tone syrupy and sweet. “The baby in my belly misses you,” she murmured, her audacity boundless.
I could no longer endure the charade. My eyes snapped open, piercing through the dark.
“Keep it down. I’m trying to sleep.”
Ruslan froze before hurriedly ushering her out, stumbling over his words.
“She’s just sleepwalking.”
Watching him stand there, flustered and at a loss, stirred something bittersweet in me.
Once upon a time, he had been a clean-cut, earnest young man. I remembered how his hand trembled slightly when he first held mine, how his shy whisper carried promises as eternal as the stars.
He had whispered in my ear that even if the world crumbled, he would love me until death.
And when the accident left me paralyzed, he had stayed by my side, resolute and unwavering.
“As long as you don’t disturb me, it’s fine,” I said at last, turning my back to him and closing my eyes.