Chapter 52: Sleepless Nights

The red numeral display on the digital timepiece on the nightstand flickered an accusing 3:27 AM, as though trying to impress upon him exactly how much of the night had collectively been wasted. He was on his back, eyes on the ceiling, with the sheets wound about his legs after hours of restless, incessant movement. The house was quiet except for the soft hum of air conditioning and the occasional creak of wood settling into place. Nathan sighed, running a hand over his face. Well, the stubble on his chin was vague evidence of the beginning of the blur of days, really. It ran first through sleepless nights and then on through days. Beside him, Sarah slept, her back to him. The distance between them felt both physical and, at the same time, emotional, and it was a chasm that seemed to be getting wider with each night. Nathan lay there, his mind wandering. It always did, at that time of day, to Olivia. He heard her laugh echo in his brain—brilliant, carefree. There seemed to be the fai