Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 155405 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 777(@200wpm)___ 622(@250wpm)___ 518(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155405 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 777(@200wpm)___ 622(@250wpm)___ 518(@300wpm)
Yes.
But I’m not going to admit that to him. He doesn’t deserve the satisfaction he would get out of knowing just how much he torments me, even from afar.
“I have to go,” he types back before I can formulate a response. “My mermaid is stirring. Get some sleep. You can think about me more tomorrow,” he says, adding a wink.
Ugh. I roll my eyes, torn on whether or not I should type a message back.
It feels rude not to. I feel like I should at least tell him to have a good day since it’s early morning where he is, but I also struggle to respond to a message from him that includes a winky face. Feels too much like being complicit in something shady. I don’t want to play games with him, I just want to know what he’s up to.
I mull it over for a second, then send back, “Tell Aubrey I say hi,” so it’s clear this communication doesn’t need to be kept secret.
I wait another moment, but the message doesn’t show as read, so he’s probably not looking at his phone anymore. I still feel better having sent it.
I navigate away from the message between us and switch over to my Aubrey message chain.
I kept every message we ever exchanged, so I spend a few minutes scrolling through and rereading them to put better thoughts in my head before I go to sleep.
My eyes are getting heavy, though.
As if my body is obeying Dare’s command to get some sleep, I find myself unable to keep them open, my arm drooping and resting against the mattress as the darkness tries to suck me in.
I can’t fight it anymore. Not tonight.
I check the message chain to ensure I didn’t accidentally push any buttons and send her anything while I was drifting. Seeing I didn’t, I close the app, put my phone back on the end table, and curl up with my back to Parker.
I feel like I still need to keep an eye on my phone, even though I know it’s unlikely I’ll get another message.
He said he had to go.
Aubrey was stirring.
I bet he has his arms wrapped around her even now, her soft skin flushing beneath his fingertips. I bet he’s touching and kissing her, marking her like he always used to and making sure she knows who she belongs to.
Ugh.
I adjust my pillow, trying to shove the miserable thoughts away.
It’s easy because my brain is exhausted and just wants to rest.
I don’t expect real rest from sleep anymore, though. Hard to feel recharged after a night of excruciating torment.
When my body finally gives out on me and my eyes drift closed, I anticipate tumbling into the now-familiar darkness.
But, for the first time in a long time, it isn’t darkness I fall into.
For the first time in a long time, I finally get some rest.