Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.
Fabian Holmes and Michael Linton are at the hospital with Amelia Linton, who slit her wrists. Worry gnaws at them, leaving them without a hint of sleepiness.
Callix Linton’s mind is preoccupied with tomorrow’s events. Though he usually sleeps early, tonight he finds himself staring at the ceiling, unable to fall asleep.
Serena Zimmerman initially felt drowsy, but once Michael Linton left, even that slight sleepiness abandoned her.
Unsure of what exactly happened, her heart is filled with worry. She considers calling to ask but fears that a call might be inappropriate, leaving her trapped in uncertainty and concern.
Athena Linton is also too excited to sleep. Tomorrow, she will be the bridesmaid for her goddess sister, a role she has never undertaken before—let alone for her favorite idol.
Such a rare and joyous occasion! She wants nothing more than to brag about it on her social media, but remembering her brother and parents’ repeated warnings, she can only sigh at her phone.
To protect her goddess sister’s future life from the paparazzi, she’ll just keep this happiness to herself.
Easton Holmes needs no explanation. An intense excitement fills his heart, perpetually focused on the image of Lily Turner. With an empty space beside him, he lets out a deep sigh.
He had never imagined a solitary night could be so grueling, yet he now intimately understands the torment of restless tossing and turning.
Reaching for the teddy bear on the nightstand, he clutches his wife’s favorite stuffed toy, allowing it to stir thoughts of her.
The one being missed is also lost in thought, her mind crowded with his image.
Lily Turner lies next to Sophia Wood, yet her mind is filled with thoughts of Easton Holmes. She fears disturbing her mother’s sleep and tries hard not to turn over.
In truth, Sophia Wood is far from asleep. The numerous recent events replay like film clips in her mind.
Many of these clips bring her to the brink of tears, but worried about disturbing her daughter, she does her utmost to restrain those tears.
Both mother and daughter believe the other is asleep, worried about disturbing one another, they both make an effort to stay still, quietly lost in their own thoughts.
Bam!
The sudden sound of a door closing interrupts the silence, drawing simultaneous reactions from the mother and daughter as they instinctively look towards the door.
The sound came from across the hall. Lily Turner doesn’t need to leave the room to know it means her sister has returned, as Alice Turner stays in the room across from hers.
Sophia Wood also realizes that Alice Turner has returned. She has always known Alice is a workaholic, but returning this late is a first in her memory.
"Did it wake you?"
Seeing Lily Turner turn over, Sophia Wood assumes she was woken by the sound and blurts out a question.
Like Sophia, Lily Turner thinks her mother was awakened by the closing door and immediately nods: "Why is sis back so late tonight?"
Though she hasn’t checked the time, she guesses it’s quite late. Earlier, when she turned off the light, it was already past eleven thirty.
"Your sister works so hard; I don’t even know why, not like her husband needs the money she earns." Witnessing Alice Turner’s constant busyness, Sophia feels both empathy and confusion. Both families are financially secure; she truly can’t fathom what Alice is striving for with such diligence.