CHAPTER 90

I lay sprawled across the bed, the soft sheets crumpled beneath me as I attempted to focus on the book in my hands. Its leather-bound cover felt smooth against my fingers, but the words on the page blurred together, refusing to hold my attention. I had read this passage twice now, and yet, I couldn't recall a single line.

The plot was simple enough—an innocent young heroine falling for a brooding hero, with layers of secrets waiting to be unraveled. Normally, I would be absorbed by such a story, letting myself escape into the heroine's world. But today, it just wasn't working. I sighed, turning another page with little interest. The heroine was busy pining over her beloved, wondering whether she meant anything to him.

"Honestly, you're wasting too much time thinking about it," I muttered under my breath, shutting the book with a soft thud. It felt ridiculous giving advice to a fictional character, but I knew why the story annoyed me today. It hit too close to home.