#Chapter 123: A Long-Awaited Vacation

Kayla I woke up to an empty bed. The sheets beside me were cool, the indentation of Nicholas’s body already faded. He must have gotten up and left before I could wake. For a moment, I just laid there, staring at the ceiling, my mind still hazy with sleep. Then, slowly at first but then in a torrent, the events of the previous night came rushing back—the emails, the wine, the movie, and then… Nicholas. My cheeks flushed at the memory, a warmth spreading through me as I recalled our frantic lovemaking. It had been like we were about to get struck by a comet, trying to desperately find one another amidst the chaos before we were all reduced to ash. But the bed was empty now, and I couldn’t help but feel a flicker of disappointment as I rolled over and felt the cold spot where he’d been laying. Still, my disappointment quickly gave way to something else: panic. The emails. I sat up, running a trembling hand through my tangled hair, and glanc