CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FOUR - A Knock On A Lonely Door

"Leon," she whispered into the darkness, her voice breaking. But there was no answer, only the hollow silence of her lonely apartment. As the first light of dawn began to creep through her curtains, Nia curled into herself, clutching her pillow as if it could fill the Leon-shaped void in her heart. The memory of the dream danced just out of reach, a cruel reminder of all she had lost. In that moment, as the weight of her choices pressed down on her, Nia wondered if she would ever dance again, if she would ever feel the warmth of love, or if this cold, empty feeling would be her constant companion in this new life she had chosen. Nia's eyes fluttered open, her cheeks damp with tears. The dream that had embraced her moments ago still clung to her consciousness, its warmth fading like mist in the morning sun. In her dream, she had been back in Central Park with Leon, on a perfect spring day. They'd spread a checkered blanket beneath a blooming cherry tree, the soft pink petals drifting