The next morning, sunlight drifted lazily into the room, and Eden groaned in his sleep, turning away from it in a futile attempt to hold onto a few more minutes of rest. But his alarm rang out moments later, and he finally gave in, remembering he needed to be at his father's office.

He rubbed his eyes as he sat up, and once his sleep-fogged mind began to clear, his gaze wandered idly around the room. It was empty — which meant Valen had already left for the day. Then, slowly, his eyes drifted toward where the flowers had been the night before.