The next morning, the sky was pale when Lilly stepped out of the cab, the air still cool with traces of dawn. The hospital loomed quietly against the morning light, its windows reflecting a dim gold that hinted at a day not yet awake. Her eyes felt heavy, her limbs sluggish, but the thought of Nathan being alone in a hospital room pulled her forward. She'd promised herself she would rest after yesterday's long, messy emotions, after the awkward silence with Mark in the car, after the way his jealousy had lingered in her mind all night like the echo of a touch she couldn't forget. But rest never came. Not really.
She'd lain in bed, eyes open, the city whispering through her window while her thoughts tangled somewhere between guilt and confusion.
So when her alarm went off before sunrise, she just gave up and got dressed.
