“Have you had dinner yet?” I handed Sebastian a clean T-shirt just as he settled down beside me. His body still carried the fresh scent of shampoo and soap. He took the shirt from my hand—the one I’d just pulled from the wardrobe.

“Not yet. You?” he asked in return.

“Hmm… well, I actually had dinner earlier. Amelie and Mom kind of forced me to eat,” I replied with a hint of guilt. I’d promised him during his last call that I’d wait so we could eat together.

“You did the right thing. Mom and Amelie were smart to tell you that. No need to feel guilty,” he said, gently ruffling my hair. “But... if I asked you to sit with me while I eat now, would that be okay?”

Without hesitation, I shook my head. “Of course not! I mean, no, I wouldn’t mind. I’d love to join my husband for dinner. Let’s go!”

“Let me just change first, then we’ll head down to the dining room,” Sebastian said. “Could you call the kitchen and ask them to prepare something for me?”

—

I sat across from him, watching as he devoured his dinner—the meal the kitchen staff had prepared moments after my call.

“are you Hungry that much?” I teased.

“Iam very Starving,” he grinned. Then his expression grew a bit more serious. “El…”

“Yeah? What’s up?” I asked, looking up at him.

"There’s something important I need to talk to you about. It’s kind of a long story, but I’ll just cut to the chase—unless that’s a problem?”

I tilted my head, half amused. “Hmm… well, it depends. If it’s really important, I’d rather you tell me the whole thing. No shortcuts.”

He puckered his lips and gave a long “Ooh.”

"Don’t ‘Ooh’ me. You said you wanted to talk,” I reminded him.

“Let’s talk in the bedroom,” he said with a smirk. **“I figured you’d be fine with just the short version. But if you want the full story, we might as well get comfy.”

“Typical,” I rolled my eyes, making him laugh.

After he finished eating, we headed back to the bedroom. I was honestly eager to hear what he had to say—but also really wanted to lie down. It was nearly midnight after all.

“Give me a sec, El. I’m gonna wash up real quick,” he said as I climbed onto the bed.

“Don’t take forever!” I called after him, wrapping myself in the comforter. The rain outside made it even cozier to curl up.

“El… hey, El?”I heard Sebastian’s voice call out, a little muffled. “Weren’t you the one who begged for the full story?”

"Hoaaaah... sorry, I dozed off,” I said quickly, adjusting my position. He didn’t seem to mind, just waited until I looked more awake.

“You ready now?”

“Yup. All ears. Don’t skip the details!”

He pinched my cheek. “Got it, boss.”

For the next hour, I listened intently as Sebastian told me everything. His story made me furious. I couldn’t believe Sylvia could be so selfish and greedy. I tried to recall what she had been like when we were still colleagues at Wonderland.

“So... Sylvia’s back at Wonderland now?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yup. That was the whole point of this mission—to get her back there. The rest is up to your friend Sarah.”

“Oh, right. I almost forgot,” I smiled, letting out a sigh.

Sebastian rubbed his eyes and yawned, and that’s when I realized just how tired he must be. He looked completely drained.

“You should go to sleep,”I whispered, wrapping my arm around his. It wasn’t overly muscular, but strong and comforting. “We can finish the rest tomorrow.”

“You sure?” he asked, shifting to face me with questioning eyes.

“Yes. I’m sleepy too,” I lied with a soft chuckle.

“Alright. Let’s get some rest then,”* he said, pressing a quick kiss to my cheek before collapsing into the pillows.

He was asleep in seconds, while my sleepiness had all but vanished. I watched him silently. I couldn’t get tired of looking at his peaceful face.

He must’ve been exhausted—he didn’t even last five minutes.

“Thank you, my love,” I whispered, brushing his soft hair that still smelled of shampoo.“Thank you for choosing me... for accepting all my flaws and my messy past...” My fingers traced along the curve of his brow, perfectly framing those deep, expressive eyes.

“And thank you for stepping in to help me with all this… even though it wasn’t your responsibility. You never once blamed me for the mistakes I made.”

My voice cracked. Tears welled up, but I quickly wiped them away. I didn’t want to wake him.

“Goodnight, my love. Sweet dreams,” I murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek.

I adjusted the blanket over him and tried to get comfortable again. I turned my back to him, curled under the blanket—but no luck. Sleep wouldn’t come. My mind was racing with thoughts of tomorrow.

I couldn’t wait to see Sarah. We had so much to discuss. Now that Sylvia was back, we had to plan our next move carefully.

I glanced at the digital clock on the nightstand. Two hours had passed and I was still wide awake. I reached for my phone, hoping reading something might make me sleepy. I opened a novel app—but just then, a message popped up.

“El, try to come to Wonderland as early as you can tomorrow. We have a lot to talk about.” —Sarah

That message confirmed it. Sarah still needed help.

Before I could type a reply, another message appeared on my screen. This time, I sighed when I saw who it was from.

“Ugh, what now?” I muttered under my breath, careful not to wake Sebastian.

I let out a soft sigh and glanced over at Sebastian. He was still fast asleep, breathing steadily, completely unaware of the chaos still swirling in my head.

Carefully, I slid off the bed, doing my best not to make a sound. The floor was cold under my feet, and I winced a little as I tiptoed toward the desk where I’d left my phone charger.

I grabbed my phone and read the second message again, rolling my eyes.

I unlocked the screen, sat down slowly on the edge of the couch near the window, and started typing my reply.

***