Chapter 154

Ella

The days blurred into a seamless routine, a pattern that was never meant to last, or so I tried to convince myself. Logan’s visits to my small apartment became more frequent, and with each passing day, the line between our fake relationship and something that felt strangely real began to blur.

He would arrive in the evenings, an unspoken agreement between us that his presence should be temporary. But the evenings turned into nights, and Logan would sleep on the couch, with me reminding him about our deal.

Every morning, I would secretly count the days that remained before our arrangement had to end.

I told myself that it was just a matter of time before Leonard found out, and my small, cheap apartment became the reason for Logan’s fall from grace. In the end, I was certain that Logan’s father would favor Harry as the heir, giving Marina exactly what she wanted.

But as I flipped through the TV channels one evening, my thoughts lingered on the newfound energy that had formed between us.

I kept telling myself that this was only the beginning of the end, that our relationship was just a facade that would soon crumble into nothingness. But beneath it all, I couldn’t deny that there was a tiny sliver of happiness I felt whenever he was around.

But the next morning, just as ordinary as all of the others, was when everything began to shift. I was already in the kitchen making coffee, dressed for work. Logan appeared in the doorway, stretching, his back cracking audibly.

“Ella, my back is killing me,” he said as he shuffled over to the coffee machine. “I’m not sure if I can handle the couch for much longer.”

“Bring an air mattress, then,” I said, shrugging and taking a bite of my toast.

Logan frowned. “Ella, air mattresses are even worse for a guy my size. Couldn’t I just, I don’t know, share the bed with you?”

I laughed him off initially, trying to brush it aside. “You can’t have my bed, Logan,” I said, feeling a twinge of guilt despite my outward nonchalant appearance. “It’s… small. And you’re too tall.”

“You have a queen-sized bed. Don’t lie.”

I paused, my toast halfway to my mouth, and shot him a sideways look. “Well, either way, I’m not sharing my bed. Sorry. It’s not part of our agreement.”

He wasn’t giving up so easily, though. “Oh, come on, Ella. It’s just temporary. I’d stick to my own side, and you to yours. It doesn’t need to be weird. I just need to feel comfortable.”

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Logan,” I said after a beat. “Sorry, but I have my own boundaries too.”

“Not even for one night?” he asked, his voice almost pleading now. “Look, I’m already giving up a lot by agreeing to stay here instead of at my mansion, and it’s not exactly like I could move another bed in this tiny place. You really wouldn’t consider just letting me try it out? Just for one night?”

I paused for a moment, taking in his words as well as his haggard appearance. It was true—sleeping on the couch hadn’t done him much good. He had dark circles under his eyes, his hair was a mess, and his shoulders looked tense.

“Come on, Ella,” Ema prodded, her voice sympathetic. She had been more active recently, buoyed by Logan’s consistent presence. “The least you could do is let the man feel comfortable.”

“Ema, I’m not—”

“I know,” she interrupted. “And you don’t have to. But look at him. He’s miserable.”

I finally sighed, realizing that she was right.

“Alright,” I said with a nod. “Next time, you can sleep with me.”

…

When I climbed into bed that night, I made sure to keep my distance. I even went so far as to give Logan his own blanket so he couldn’t touch me in the night, and shot him a warning look as I went to flick off the lamp.

“Remember what we talked about?” I asked.

Logan nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I know. Stick to my side, stay under my own blanket, and don’t bother you.”

“Exactly.”

With that, I switched off the light and the room fell into darkness, punctuated only by the lights of the city seeping through the crack in the curtain. I rolled over onto my side and turned away, taking care to keep as close to the edge of the bed as possible.

But then came Logan’s voice. “Ella?”

“Hmm?” I feigned sleepiness, although right now I really felt more alert than ever with him by my side.

“Nothing. Goodnight.”

Silence took over the room again. Eventually, I managed to fall into a light sleep.

It was the emptiness that woke me. At some point, I must have rolled over onto my other side, but something felt… off. I flicked my eyes open, and there it was: the empty space where Logan should have been.

For some reason, something about it unsettled me. Driven by my wolf’s urges, I slipped out of the bed and padded over to the door, peeking out into the main area of my apartment. Dark and empty.

“Logan?” I called out, expecting him to have moved to the couch after all or maybe he had gotten up for a drink of water.

No answer came.

For some reason, the emptiness was borderline alarming. The bathroom was empty, the living room and kitchen were barren, and the entryway… Logan’s shoes and coat were gone. I frowned, padding over to the window to look outside. And there, on the street where his car was normally parked, there was nothing.

He was gone.

I frowned as I looked through the curtains. “Where did he go?” I murmured, not just to myself but to my wolf.

“Maybe he’s…”

“Actually, nevermind,” I said, shaking my head before she could finish. “It’s not my problem.”

Ema was a little disappointed, but said nothing. Making my way back to the bed, I crawled back into the sheets and laid my head down on the pillow. If Logan had to slip out in the middle of the night, that was his business. We weren’t in a real relationship.

But then, at some point, he returned. I wasn’t sure when exactly because I was asleep, but all I knew was that by the time I awoke in the morning, he was there again. His presence made me jump slightly, and he must have sensed it, because his eyes popped open.

“Morning,” he said.

I sat up abruptly, making my way over to the door to grab my robe off the hook. “Morning. Sleep well?”

Logan yawned, stretching his arms above his head. “Like a log. You?”

I paused for a moment, considering before I finally spoke. “Did you get up at some point in the night?”

“Huh?” Logan asked, sitting up.

I shrugged. “I woke up and you were gone at one point.”

“Nope, must’ve been dreaming. I didn’t move an inch all night.” There was a sort of practiced ease in his voice, but the flicker of something else in his eyes betrayed him.

I stared at him for a moment, unsure of whether to prod further or let it go. Finally, I chose the latter. “Huh, must have been a dream then.”

Logan shot me a tense smile. The relief on his face spoke volumes, and I instantly knew that something was off. But I also knew that it was none of my business.

Logan was here for one reason and one reason only: to lose his father’s inheritance. What he did in the middle of the night, so long as it didn’t involve me, was none of my concern…

Right?