Cornelia's POV
Sleep refused to come again tonight. The frustration gnawed at me as I lay staring at the ceiling, my body exhausted but my mind racing like a wild animal in a cage. Tomorrow demanded an early start at work, yet here I was, wide awake in the dead of night.
I gave up on the pretense of rest and made my way to the balcony, seeking the cool night air that might calm the storm in my head. The stone rail felt ice-cold beneath my arms as I leaned against it, remembering how I had spotted Caleb here earlier. Something about his silhouette had struck me then - the way cigarette smoke curled around his face, how loose strands of hair escaped his messy bun, the profound sadness that seemed to radiate from his very being.
What disturbed me most was the tightness that had gripped my chest watching him. An inexplicable urge to reach out, to somehow ease whatever burden he carried. The feeling made no sense to me.
