Page 112 of Fallen Empire

I woke to darkness.

The kind that settles thick, with no streetlight bleeding through the blinds or flickering from the television. Just stillness and the subtle sound of a city sleeping beyond floor to ceiling windows of the Penthouse.

My body throbbed with a dull ache I couldn’t even locate, let alone name, but it wasn’t the pain that woke me. It was the quiet.

I blinked slowly, letting my eyes adjust. The soft hum of the air system making slight whispers overhead. The faint scent of lavender from the blanket covering me. And there, not far from where I lay on the sofa, Jaxson—lying on the adjacent sectional, stretched out awkwardly, like there was no other place he’d rather be. Even in sleep, he looked like he was bracing for impact.

I angled my head as far as I could without moving and saw Millie still sitting beside me. Same position. Same hoodie with the sleeves pulled over her fists. It was as if I were something fragile, both of them trying to be my protectors.

I shifted gently, adjusting the blanket over my legs. The small movement was enough to stir them both.

Millie blinked first, eyes squinting toward me, her voice still scratchy with sleep. “Hey. You okay?”

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” I whispered.

“You didn’t,” Jaxson said groggily, his voice deeper from sleep. He pushed himself upright with a wince, running a hand through his hair. “You should be in a bed, not on the sofa.”

“I’m fine here,” I murmured. But it was Millie who answered for me.

“She’s not going anywhere,” she said, sitting up straighter. Then she turned to Jaxson, her voice low but firm. “Go to bed.”

He arched a brow. “You’re kicking me out of my own living room now?”

“Yes.” Her tone was sharp, but something about it softened at the edges. “You can sleep alone tonight, but tomorrow, she’s yours again. Let me have her now.”

His eyes flicked between us, reading the silent plea in her voice. Eventually, he stood and stretched, tossing a blanket over the back of the sofa. “You get one night,” he said, pointing at Millie. “But that’s it.”

She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Now go before I convince her to let me move in with her.”

Jaxson leaned down and kissed the top of my head. “I’ll be down the hall.”

I nodded, watching him disappear into the shadows of the hallway.

Once the door clicked shut, Millie turned toward me. She exhaled like she’d been holding something in for days.

“I almost got married once,” she said.

The confession came out of nowhere, soft and unexpected.

I blinked. “What?” I pulled myself up to the edge of the sofa, resting my arm against the side and propping my head up to give her all my attention.

Millie looked away, her fingers twisting the edge of the blanket in her lap. “His name was Henry. We were a few months out. Had a venue, a dress, even a playlist. Then he died. Just... gone.”

“Millie…”

She shook her head quickly. “I don’t talk about it. No one really knows. I buried it the same way I buried everything else.My job. My life. All perfectly curated. No one sees the cracks.” She looked back at me, “like you.”

I reached out and laid my hand over hers. She didn’t pull away.

“What happened?” I asked, unsure if she was ready to tell me everything.

“Cancer. He had a seizure when we were tasting cake.” She let out a laugh as if she still didn’t believe it. “A tumor had grown so large it had woven it’s way through his brain. Surgery wasn’t an option. There was no warning. The seizures got worse and within a week he was in a hospital bed. He never left. It only took three weeks.”

I wasn’t sure what to say or how to even comprehend the kind of devastation she must have gone through. But she wasn’t finished.

“Seeing you in that bed took me back to when I waited for him. I know the two weren’t the same, but it scared me more than I’d thought possible. I promised myself I’d never love anyone again, but I love you Savannah.”

“Millie, I love you, too.” And I meant every word. Because I did. She was like a lifeline I never realized I needed. I clung to her like a child to their security blanket.