Lucien POV
She was asleep when I got back.
I stood in the doorway of her room for a moment, just long enough to confirm the slow, even rise and fall of her breathing, the way her body had finally surrendered to the exhaustion she'd been carrying for days.
She was on top of the covers, wearing her nightie, her shoes off but everything else the same. Like she'd sat down meaning to rest for a minute and the rest had taken over before she could argue with it.
The box was open beside her on the bed.
And in her hand, loose between her fingers, was the letter.
I crossed the room quietly. I picked up the chair from the corner, the reading chair she never used because she always worked at the desk and I moved it to the side of the room where I could see her without being too close. Then I sat down.
