The morning sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting golden bands across the wooden floor.
Tiny motes of dust drifted through the light, like fragments of memories left over from last night, dancing slowly in the morning sun.
Vivian slowly opened her eyes.
Instinctively, she turned her head and looked at the space beside her-it was empty.
The indentation in the pillow remained, and the bedding still held a trace of warmth, but he was already gone.
She wasn't surprised. Greg had told her last night that he would leave before dawn to keep anyone else from finding out.
She had agreed at the time, but now that she had actually woken to find no one beside her, she couldn't help feeling a faint pang of loneliness.
Yet when she gently rested a hand on her lower abdomen and recalled the warmth of that moment, a tender smile unconsciously touched her lips.
The unease that had once kept her tossing and turning, the fear of being replaced, had now vanished.
Because she had accepted Greg completely, and Greg had accepted her completely, too.
There were no longer any barriers between them.
"I need to change the sheets before the others come back."
Vivian pushed herself upright, but the moment she moved, an unfamiliar ache came from a certain part of her body, making her frown slightly.
It was a sensation she had never experienced before, somewhat uncomfortable, yet it made her acutely aware that everything that had happened last night was no dream.
She lowered her head a little, a blush spreading across her cheeks. Though it hurt somewhat, it also filled her with an indescribable happiness.
Only after the ache gradually subsided did she lift the covers and get out of bed.
Then she discovered that her