~ ROWAN
I took a sip from my coffee, relishing in the bitter taste and the heat that warmed my tongue.
I was fucking exhausted, I'd barely managed more than two hours of sleep in the last few days.
Every time I closed my eyes, I was plagued with the darkness of that alley and Nyssa's scent in my nose. It was easy enough to ignore her when I hadn't touched her but now… she was like a fucking virus, and I couldn't get her out.
She'd been gone for days, but she'd left her essence all over the fucking palace.
I saw her in the empty chairs of the dining room, I saw her in my mother's terrace, I saw her face as I shattered her heart that night.
I heard the maids whisper about her when they thought I wasn't listening. Even the guards sent curious glances to each other whenever I walked past.
She was here one day, and suddenly, she was gone, and no one could understand why.
It didn't help that Aria was now ignoring me.
