Sunlight filtered gently through the curtains, casting warm golden streaks across the bedroom floor.Becky stirred first.For several quiet moments, she simply lay on her side watching Jared sleep. One arm rested beneath his head while the other lay loosely across the blanket, his breathing slow and even after what had been the first genuinely peaceful day either of them had enjoyed in months.She smiled to herself.He looked younger when he slept.Less like the billionaire constantly solving crises.Less like the university student everyone expected to have the answer to everything.Just... Jared.Unable to resist, she carefully brushed a stray lock of hair away from his forehead.Almost immediately, one eye opened."So," Jared mumbled hoarsely, his lips curving into a sleepy smile, "this is how you spend your mornings?"Becky gasped dramatically before pulling her hand back."I wasn't staring.""You definitely were.""I was making sure you were still alive.""Oh?"He raised an eyebr

Jared barely slept that night.After Becky walked away, he had stood in the university car park for several minutes before finally getting into his car, hoping she might turn back. She never did. By the time he reached his apartment, the silence felt unusually heavy. Their conversations usually filled his evenings, even if they were only quick updates about classes or jokes about university life. This time, his phone remained untouched on the kitchen counter while he packed a suitcase for a trip he no longer wanted to take.His flight left just after eight the following morning.The business meeting couldn't be postponed. Ethan had explained everything over the phone the previous day. A major overseas investor had unexpectedly advanced the schedule, and Jared was the only person familiar enough with the project to represent the company. It wasn't optional. It wasn't a choice.None of that made leaving any easier.He zipped his suitcase shut, picked up his phone and stared at Becky's c

The business trip stopped feeling like a trip and started feeling like a marathon.By the fourth day, Jared had forgotten what a normal schedule looked like.Meetings began before sunrise. Presentations bled into negotiations. Negotiations became strategy sessions, and strategy sessions somehow turned into late-night conference calls with executives in different time zones. His hotel room had transformed into a temporary office, with documents covering every available surface and his laptop remaining open almost constantly.Ethan found him in the conference suite just after eight in the evening, still reviewing financial projections despite the fact that the meeting had ended nearly an hour earlier."You know the rest of us went to dinner, right?" Ethan asked, loosening his tie as he dropped into the chair opposite him.Jared didn't look up immediately."I know.""And?""I'm almost done."Ethan stared at the stack of papers."You said that two hours ago."Jared finally leaned back, ru

Jared had never realised how exhausting it was to keep a secret from someone he loved.Every conversation with Becky felt like walking a careful line. He wanted to tell her everything. He wanted to hear the excitement in her voice, watch her eyes light up, and reassure her that every long day apart had been leading to a reason. Instead, he smiled through every video call, changed the subject whenever she asked too many questions about his schedule, and quietly carried the weight of a surprise he hoped would be worth every moment of frustration she'd endured.His final week away had become a blur of meetings, presentations and negotiations. Most evenings, he returned to his hotel room long after sunset with an aching back and a pounding headache. Even then, the first thing he reached for wasn't food or a shower.It was his phone.That evening, Becky's face appeared on the screen after only two rings."There you are," she said, folding her arms dramatically as she looked into the camera

Becky woke before sunrise.She didn't usually reach for her phone the moment she opened her eyes, but today was different.Today Jared was supposed to be coming home.Still half-asleep, she unlocked the screen with a hopeful smile.Nothing.No messages.She frowned faintly before reminding herself that he was probably already travelling. If he'd taken an early flight, he might have been boarding already. Phones had to be switched off eventually."It'll come later," she murmured, placing the phone back on the bedside table.The thought reassured her enough to get ready for the day.By the time she reached campus, the morning had settled into its usual rhythm. Students hurried between lectures, conversations echoed across the walkways, and lecturers carried stacks of papers from one building to another. Becky walked through the courtyard with Jessica, who was balancing a coffee in one hand and a notebook in the other."You look unusually cheerful," Jessica observed, smiling as she glanc