#Chapter 68: The Happy Couple

Kayla The room smelled like him. That was one of the first things I noticed when I opened my eyes to the soft glow of the early morning light filtering through the sheer curtains. I stayed there for a moment, still buried under the thick blankets, trying and failing to shake off the lingering haze of sleep. But the scent wrapped around me before I could even wake up fully—warm, musky, and unmistakably Nicholas. I frowned, glancing over at the empty side of the bed, where the sheets were still neatly unmade and the pillow was left untouched. He hadn’t been here last night. I knew that. Nicholas didn’t sleep in this room when I was in it. Hell, I doubted he had even walked past it since the country club incident two days ago, and he was even more unlikely to enter after yesterday. But the smell was so strong that it almost felt like he had just left, like if I rolled over I might catch the faintest trace of warmth where his body had been. Had h