The Mocked Miss’s Hidden Crowns novel Chapter 2007

Night cast a heavy, suffocating blanket over the apartment.

"I'll watch her tonight," Roger said, expertly peeling a peach with a paring knife.

Charlotte considered it. "I guess, but..." She hesitated. "She might not let you stay in the room." Charlotte had been sleeping in Stella's bed every night to keep her grounded.

"I'll stay in the hallway," Roger said, dividing the sliced fruit into two containers and handing one to Charlotte. "It'll be fine."

Charlotte ate a slice of peach and nodded. "Okay."

Before leaving, she rattled off a list of things he needed to know. Stella woke up in a panic several times a night. She usually wanted water around three and five in the morning. And when the nightmares hit, she needed someone there immediately.

Roger committed every detail to memory, filling a thermos with warm water and dropping in a slice of lemon.

"You've worked hard these past few days," Roger said, noticing the dark circles under Charlotte's eyes. "Go get some rest."

It was already ten o'clock.

"I'm right next door if you need me," Charlotte said, letting Anthony pull her toward the master bedroom.

The apartment fell deathly silent. Roger sat alone in the living room for a long time, gathering his courage before taking his supplies upstairs.

To his surprise, Stella's bedroom door was cracked open. She was standing by the window in a thin nightgown, her arms wrapped around herself as she stared into the pitch-black night.

Roger tapped lightly on the doorframe and stepped inside. He set the fruit and the thermos on the nightstand, then picked up a heavy coat from the chair and draped it over her shoulders. Anticipating her panic, he immediately took a step back.

Stella froze, her wide, vacant eyes fixed on him. Her breathing grew shallow and erratic.

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