Free Web NovelChapter 235: Chapter 235 The Nightmare
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Nancy finally walked out of the bathroom, warm and steamy in her softest cotton pajamas.
Yardley was sitting up in bed. He looked fully awake. His eyes were on her.
The room was dim. Just a bedside lamp on. He had changed into gray sweatpants. No shirt.
She pressed her lips together.
"Done?" He raised an eyebrow. "Come to bed."
"Okay."
Her heart was pounding. She walked around to the other side of the king size bed. The sheets were dark gray. High thread count. Cool against her skin.
She just sat down when Yardley leaned in.
Her eyes went wide. She pulled back. "Wait. I’m not ready."
Yardley’s eyes sparkled. His arm reached past her ear.
Click.
The lights went out.
"I only put the light switch on my side when I designed this room," he said in the dark. His voice was low. Almost teasing. "What did you think I was going to do?"
Nancy said nothing.
"Go to sleep."
If the lights were on, he would have seen her face turn bright red.
She lay there in the dark, staring at the ceiling. She could hear him breathing next to her. Feel the warmth coming off his body.
She had never been this embarrassed in her whole life.
But maybe it was the long day. Or the stress finally wearing off. Within a few minutes, her eyelids got heavy.
She let herself drift. Let herself forget. For now, that was enough.
The last thing she felt before sleep pulled her under was the solid weight of his presence beside her. Safe. Warm. Close.
She didn’t fight it.
She fell asleep. freēwēbηovel.c૦m
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But sleep didn’t stay peaceful for long.
At some point, the darkness behind her eyes shifted. The bed disappeared. The warmth next to her faded.
And suddenly she was somewhere else entirely.
Nancy woke up on a college campus. Old brick buildings. Oak trees. A quad with students sprawled on the grass. It looked like State, but she couldn’t remember why she was here.
A guy in a suit was leaning against a wall. Dark hair. Sharp jaw. Cold eyes. "You really want to break up with me?"
Nancy’s chest got tight. Her heart was hammering. But the words came out anyway. "Yes."
As soon as she said it, her mouth went dry. Like she just made the biggest mistake of her life.
"Fine." Yardley’s voice was flat. Icy. "You won’t regret this, Nancy?"
She looked at him. His dark eyes were dead. No warmth. No nothing. The air between them felt heavy. Like standing in a room with all the oxygen sucked out.
Neither of them moved.
Then the light in his eyes just died. He turned around and walked away. His shoulders were broad. Stiff. His footsteps echoed on the concrete.
She wanted to call out to him. But she couldn’t.
Then her phone buzzed.
Unknown: Who told you to break up with him? You want your mom’s treatment to stop?
Nancy’s eyes flew open. She was gasping. Her heart was pounding so hard she could hear it in her ears.
Yardley stirred next to her. His voice was low and rough, still half-asleep. "Nancy? You okay?"
Nancy was clutching the blanket. Her hands were freezing. Her forehead was damp with sweat. The sheets were twisted around her legs.
Yardley sat up. He must have felt her shaking. He got out of bed and turned on the lamp on his nightstand.
Soft golden light spread across the room.
The big windows showed the dark woods outside. The estate was dead quiet.
He walked to the bathroom and came back with a warm washcloth. He sat down on the edge of the bed and gently wiped her face. Her neck. Her hands.
"Hey. Look at me." His voice was calm. Steady. "It was just a nightmare. You’re safe. You’re in my house. I’m right here."
His hand rested on her back. Warm. Solid. She could smell him. Clean soap and something woodsy. It pulled her back to the real world.
She took a shaky breath. Then another.
"Yeah. Okay. Thanks." She forced a small smile. "Let’s go back to sleep. It was just a dream."
She lay back down and closed her eyes.
But her mind was racing.
That text message was still crystal clear. Every word. Every letter.
Her mom had been sick once. Really sick. Did their breakup have something to do with that?
