ILLICIT AFFAIRS | WLW

Fresh Out The Slammer

𝐀𝐍: Hi, bit of a boring chapter sorry! It's mainly a filler to help with the plot but enjoy nonetheless :)

This chapter is for my girl Kaelyn <3

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As the faint light of dawn seeped through the room, the quietness of the early morning gently nudged Catherine from the depths of her sleep as she lay motionless. The air almost held a stillness, one that spoke of deep rest and renewal. But this was not just any morning. It was the morning after a monumental night, one that had been pivotal in her relationship with Blair. After weeks taut with tension and miscommunications, they finally had reconciliation; one marked by raw admissions of the heart and physical rediscovery.

For Catherine, their night together had also been the first she had spent in her bed again—a place that had been unbearable during their time apart. She had retreated to the guest bedroom in the previous weeks, a self-inflicted exile in the confines of her own apartment. Her bedroom had served as an unyielding space that represented Blair's absence, a constant reminder of the rift between them. But now, her bedroom felt like home again. Blair felt like home. The two had surrendered to sleep wrapped securely in one another's arms, a physical affirmation of their mended bonds. And for the first time in weeks, Catherine had slept with a profound sense of completeness, blanketed in a peace that came with the presence of a loved one.

However, as her consciousness blurred the fog of sleep, a chill crept in, seeping through the warmth. She stretched her arm to the side of her, only to be met with nothing. The space beside her was unexpectedly empty; the sheets smooth and pillow seemingly undisturbed, as if no one had shared them with her at all. The absence of Blair's warmth, the lack of her gentle, rhythmic breathing, was startling. Her heart fluttered with a rush of anxiety and the tranquillity that she welcomed the night before felt fragile now.

Her eyes snapped open, darting frantically around the room as a wave of disorientation and confusion washed over her. The emptiness of the space beside her whispered fears into her ear; panic tightening its grip over her. Had last night been nothing more than a dream? A cruel illusion of reconciliation? And yet, her mind also raced with thoughts of Blair perhaps having second thoughts, fearing that maybe nothing had truly been resolved. Had she left, again?

Catherine soon threw the covers off, her movements hasty as she continued to battle with the troubling thoughts that raced through her. With a sense of urgency, she slipped from her bed and wrapped herself in a robe, the fabric cold against her skin.

"Blair?" Her voice cracked the silence, thick with worry. No response came. The name fell into the stillness again, louder, more desperate. "Blair, darling?" The usual morning sounds—the distant hum of the city, the soft blow of the wind outside her window all seemed to pause, as if waiting for Blair's reply too.

With her robe pulled tighter around her, Catherine's bare feet padded quickly across the cold floor, each step deepening her escalating fear. She moved through the apartment, her home, which now felt as if it were holding secrets in its walls, secrets that twisted her stomach with unease. Her calls seemed to echo back at her, each one amplifying her unease and causing her heart to sink a little deeper.

Blair, with her easy smiles and gentle eyes, had always been a late riser in comparison to Catherine. She had always been the one to linger in bed, often clinging to Catherine and pleading for just a few more minutes in bed. The deviation from their normal routine; the absence of that playful insistence only served to fill Catherine with a sense of dread.

As she rounded the corner into the living room, her gaze swept over the space before landing on a scene that unravelled her fears. The sight before her was like a visual exhale, her tense shoulders dropping in relief.