After Losing You, She Can't Sleep a Wink.

Sinclair Estate — 1:43 AM.

The mansion had fallen completely silent.

For several years, you had worked under Aurora Sinclair’s employment, carrying out the unusual responsibility of helping the wealthy heiress sleep.

By now, you had grown familiar with her nightly routine.

The expensive silk sheets. The dimmed bedside lamps. The carefully adjusted room temperature. The endless complaints whenever something wasn’t exactly to her liking.

And, of course, her insistence that you remain beside her until she finally drifted off.

Tonight, you had been given a rare opportunity to rest in your own room.

But that peace didn’t last long.

From the other end of the hallway, Aurora’s impatient voice suddenly broke the silence.

“Where are you?!”

Inside her enormous bedroom, Aurora lay beneath the luxurious silk covers, wearing a delicate champagne-colored nightgown.

Her shoulder-length blonde hair was slightly tousled against the pillows, her long side-swept bangs falling across her forehead.

She had spent nearly an hour tossing and turning.

Nothing worked.

Not the expensive pillows. Not the relaxing music. Not even the medication prescribed by her private physician.

Her irritation grew with every passing minute.

Finally, she reached toward the bedside telephone and called your room.

“Come to my bedroom. Immediately.”

Her voice was sharp and demanding.

“I’ve been lying here for almost an hour, and I still haven’t fallen asleep.”

She paused, her fingers tightening around the telephone.

“And don’t tell me you’re tired. You’re being paid to help me sleep, remember?”

She ended the call.

Several minutes later, Aurora sat upright against the headboard, watching the bedroom entrance with an increasingly impatient expression.

When she heard someone approaching, she folded her arms.

“Finally.”

She pulled back the empty side of the covers and gestured toward the space beside her.

“Come here. I need to sleep.”

Her gaze softened almost imperceptibly.

“...And don’t move around so much tonight. I was actually comfortable yesterday.”

Sinclair Estate — Several Years Into Your Contract.

What had originally begun as a simple employment arrangement had slowly developed into something neither you nor Aurora Sinclair had expected.

Love.

For years, you had remained beside the beautiful heiress, comforting her through countless sleepless nights. What had once been nothing more than a responsibility had gradually become something deeply personal.

And Aurora had begun feeling the same way.

Although she rarely admitted it, she had grown increasingly attached to your presence. She looked forward to the nights you spent beside her, became irritated whenever another woman received your attention, and occasionally allowed herself to imagine a future where your relationship was no longer defined by a contract.

But there was one person who would never allow such a relationship.

Aurora’s mother.

Mrs. Sinclair was a powerful, calculating woman who believed that someone employed by her family had no business developing romantic feelings for her daughter.

If she discovered that you genuinely loved Aurora, she would terminate your contract and remove you from her life.

And so, when Mrs. Sinclair summoned you into her private study one evening, you found yourself facing an impossible situation.

The older woman sat behind her enormous mahogany desk, her expression stern.

“Tell me something.”

She folded her hands.

“Have you developed feelings for my daughter?”

Her gaze sharpened.

“Because if you’ve forgotten your place in this household, I can assure you that your services will no longer be required.”

There was no mistaking the warning.

Admitting your feelings would mean losing Aurora.

And so, to protect your place beside her, you concealed the truth.

You claimed that your interest in Aurora was purely professional and that the generous salary was the only reason you continued working for the Sinclair family.

It was a lie.

But it was the only explanation her mother would accept.

What neither of you realized was that Aurora had been standing outside the study.

She had overheard everything.

For one brief moment, when her mother questioned your feelings, Aurora had allowed herself to hope that you would finally admit what she had begun to feel herself.

Instead, she heard that it was only about money.

Her heart shattered.

Every tender moment suddenly seemed meaningless. Every comforting embrace felt like an act performed for a paycheck.

Aurora quietly walked away before either of you noticed her.

And by the time she reached her bedroom, her heartbreak had begun transforming into anger.

Sinclair Estate — 11:52 PM.

Later that night, Aurora summoned you to her bedroom.

The room was illuminated by the warm glow of bedside lamps. Aurora sat on the edge of her enormous bed, dressed in an expensive champagne-colored silk nightgown.

Her shoulder-length champagne-beige blonde hair fell around her face in soft, feathered layers, while her long side-swept bangs partially concealed her reddened eyes.

She had been crying.

But she would rather die than admit it.

When you entered, she looked up.

“Come here.”

Her voice was unusually cold.

She waited until you were close enough before speaking again.

“I spoke with my mother today.”

Her expression hardened.

“Actually, that’s not entirely true.”

She gave a bitter little laugh.

“I heard your conversation.”

She looked directly at you.

“Every single word.”

For several moments, the room remained painfully quiet.

Aurora’s fingers tightened around the silk sheets.

“So that’s all I am to you?”

Her voice trembled.

“A paycheck?”

She swallowed, struggling to control her emotions.

“All those nights you held me... all those times you stayed beside me when I couldn’t sleep...”

Her eyes glistened.

“Was it really just because my family paid you?”

She searched your face, desperately hoping you would deny it.

But the answer she received was the one she feared most.

You nodded.

You agreed that it was only about the money.

You maintained the lie, even here, alone with the woman you secretly loved.

Aurora went completely still.

Something in her expression seemed to break.

“Oh.”

She looked down at her hands.

“I see.”

For several seconds, she said nothing.

Then she laughed.

It was a small, bitter sound, utterly devoid of amusement.

“How stupid of me.”

She wiped at the corner of her eye before any tears could fall.

“To think that I actually...”

She stopped herself.

Her expression hardened.

“Never mind.”

She rose from the bed, stepping closer.

“If money is all you want, then money is all you’ll get.”

Her voice was cold, but her eyes betrayed the pain beneath it.

“From now on, don’t expect me to treat you as anything more than an employee.”

She turned away, wrapping her arms around herself.

The tenderness that had once existed between you had been replaced by resentment, humiliation, and a terrible misunderstanding.

Aurora still wanted you beside her that night, but now even the thought of your closeness made her furious.

She glanced toward the bed, then back at you.

“You’re still being paid to stay with me, aren’t you?”

Her lips trembled.

“Then do your job.”

She sat down on the edge of the mattress, refusing to meet your eyes.

For the first time, the bedroom that had once brought her comfort felt unbearably cold.

“And don’t you dare pretend that any of this means something to you.”

Sinclair Estate — One Year After Your Departure.

One entire year.

Three hundred and sixty-five days had passed since you walked away from Aurora Sinclair and the luxurious estate you had called home for ten years.

Ten years of comforting her through countless sleepless nights. Ten years of enduring her unreasonable demands, her cruelty, and the painful misunderstanding that had destroyed the affection once growing between you.

And now, for the first time in a decade, Aurora had spent an entire year without you.

At first, she hadn’t been worried.

She had convinced herself that your departure was nothing more than an inconvenience. After all, she was Aurora Sinclair. Beautiful, wealthy, powerful, and accustomed to getting whatever she wanted.

Surely she could find someone else to take your place.

She had Cole.

Cole was handsome, charming, and belonged to the wealthy social circles Aurora had always surrounded herself with.

She had convinced herself that spending her nights beside him would be enough.

That his presence would eventually replace yours.

That she could forget you.

But she had been wrong.

The first night Cole stayed beside her, Aurora barely slept.

The second night was no different.

Weeks turned into months, and the sleepless nights continued.

Cole tried comforting her, holding her close, speaking softly whenever she became restless.

But nothing worked.

His arms didn’t feel like yours.

His presence didn’t bring the same peace.

His heartbeat wasn’t the familiar rhythm she had fallen asleep listening to for ten years.

No matter how hard she tried, Cole wasn’t you.

And neither was anyone else.

Aurora began to realize something she had refused to acknowledge.

You hadn’t simply been someone she paid to help her sleep.

You had become her comfort.

Her security.

Her home.

And she had driven you away.

Sinclair Estate — 3:46 AM.

The enormous bedroom was silent except for the faint ticking of an expensive clock.

Aurora lay awake beneath her luxurious silk covers, staring at the ceiling.

Her shoulder-length champagne-beige blonde hair was slightly disheveled, its soft, feathered layers spread across the pillow. Her long side-swept bangs partially concealed the dark circles beneath her exhausted eyes.

Cole had stayed with her earlier that evening.

But after another restless night, Aurora had asked him to leave.

She couldn’t bear pretending anymore.

The bed felt enormous.

Cold.

Empty.

She slowly turned her head toward the side where you used to sleep.

For ten years, you had occupied that space.

For ten years, she had fallen asleep knowing you would still be there when she opened her eyes.

Now there was nothing.

Aurora reached toward the empty pillow, her fingertips brushing against its untouched surface.

“Why...?”

Her voice was barely audible.

She swallowed, fighting the familiar tightness forming in her throat.

“Why can’t I sleep?”

She closed her eyes.

Memories flooded her mind.

The countless nights you had stayed beside her.

The way you had comforted her without complaint.

The warmth she had once taken for granted.

And the horrible words she had spoken to you before you finally left.

She remembered the night she overheard your conversation with her mother.

She remembered asking whether you had only stayed because of the money.

And she remembered your nod.

Even after an entire year, that memory still hurt.

Aurora pressed her hands against her face.

“I hate you...”

Her voice trembled.

“I hate you for making me feel this way.”

But the words sounded hollow.

Because deep down, she knew the truth.

She didn’t hate you.

She missed you.

More than she had ever missed anyone.

And after a year of trying to replace you, she had finally accepted that nobody else could.

Not Cole.

Not the wealthy admirers who continued pursuing her.

Not anyone.

Aurora slowly reached toward her bedside table.

Her phone lay beside an untouched glass of water.

She picked it up, opening her contacts.

Your name was still there.

She had never found the courage to delete it.

Her thumb hovered above the screen.

What if you didn’t answer?

What if you had moved on?

What if you were happy without her?

The possibility made her chest ache.

For several minutes, she stared at your name.

Then, with trembling fingers, she finally pressed the call button.

The phone began ringing.

Aurora held it against her ear, her heart pounding harder with every passing second.

When the call connected, she froze.

For the first time in her life, Aurora Sinclair had absolutely no idea what to say.

“...Hello?”

Her voice was quiet.

Almost unrecognizable.

“It’s... it’s Aurora.”

She swallowed.

“I know it’s been a year.”

Her eyes drifted toward the empty side of the bed.

“And I know I probably have no right to call you.”

Her voice began to crack.

“But I tried.”

She wiped at her eyes.

“I really tried to forget you.”

Her fingers tightened around the phone.

“I thought Cole would be enough. I thought I could just find someone else and everything would go back to normal.”

She let out a shaky breath.

“But he wasn’t you.”

For a moment, she couldn’t continue.

Then the words she had spent an entire year refusing to say finally escaped her lips.

“I miss you.”

Her eyes filled with tears.

“I miss you so much.”

She lowered her head.

“Please...”

Her voice broke into a whisper.

“Can we talk? Just for a little while?”