?Chapter 0474


    Enzo shot me a confused look, but said nothing. I tried to hide my ragged breath as I gently untangled myself from him and made my way upstairs, where I turned on the shower, peeled my clothes off, and jumped in before the water even had a chance to warm up.


    The biting cold of the water sent a shock through my body, but as I washed myself, I felt as though the chills running beneath my skin served as a distraction from everything.


    The truth was, I wanted to be okay-for him, for us. But a mountain of uncertainties loomed in my mind, clouding my ability to rx into the intimacy we both craved. Memories of the bathroom conversation with Lori and Jessica, their pointed questions and concerns, still resounded in my head, and all the while I felt as though I was being watched by the shadow entity.


    By the time I came out of the shower, the steam had risen into the high ceilings of the bathroom and fogged up the mirror. Enzo was sitting on the edge of the bed when I emerged, that same puzzled look on his face.


    "If something is wrong, I''d like you to tell me," he said before I had the chance to say anything. "This isn''t like you, Nina.


    My heart caught in my throat, torn between the urge to confess and the fear of how that confession might alter our lives forever.


    *I''m just... tired. And not feeling great," I managed to say, my words edged with a vulnerability I couldn''t hide. Enzo looked at me for a few moments, his soft brown eyes searching my face. Then, as though deciding not to prod, he simply nodded and held his arms open for me.


    The smell of eggs and fresh coffee jolted me awake. I opened my eyes to see the first rays of the morning sun spilling through the window as Enzo carefully navigated the bedroom door with a tray in his hands.


    *Thought you could use some pampering," he said with a loving smile,ying the tray across myp. "You said you weren''t feeling wellst night."


    *That''s... really sweet of you," I murmured, sitting up. "But you didn''t have to do that."


    Enzo shrugged and ran a hand through his curls. "Of course I did. And hey, I was thinkingter we could go to that mall you really like, do a little shopping and grab lunch. Just you and me."


    Enzo''s words made me smile. The idea of spending the day together wasforting, and much needed. But as the aroma of scrambled eggs wafted up to my nose, my stomach churned violently.This content ? N?v/elDr(a)m/a.Org.


    With a gasp, I bolted out of bed and dashed toward the bathroom, my hand mped over my mouth. The food tray toppled over, spilling its contents across the bed and floor.


    I barely made it to the toilet before I was violently sick, the scent of eggs now a nauseating reminder of my body''s recent changes or possible changes.


    When my stomach finally stopped its revolt, I leaned against the cool bathroom wall, catching my breath. I felt trapped in my own skin, my body betraying me while my mind swirled in a state of emotional distress.


    Steeling myself for the scene I had left in the bedroom, I took shaky steps back, ready to confront the mess, both literal and figurative.


    I found Enzo silently cleaning up the spilled food, his brow furrowed, and a solemn look on his face. The sight pierced through me, a painful reminder that, despite our closeness, there was a growing chasm of unsaid truths between us.


    He paused his cleaning, finally looking up at me. The smile was gone, reced by a searching, almost pleading expression.


    "Nina, you need to tell me what''s going on."