Love at First Novel by Gu Lingfei

Serenity followed Sonny and Titus to their room, watched them climb into bed, and tucked them in with a quilt. She turned on a small light, switched off the main one, and said, “Sleep well. Don’t get up to play, and don’t stay up talking all night. If I hear you talking, we’ll cancel tomorrow’s trip to the children’s park.”

Though the boys were only three or four years old, they chatted like adults when together, able to talk about anything for hours.

Serenity thought that when these two grew up, their sharp tongues would fool many.

Sonny and Titus exchanged glances and replied in unison, “We’ll go to sleep and won’t talk.”

They liked chatting, but going out to play tomorrow sounded better.

Serenity leaned in and kissed them goodnight, whispering, “Good night, have sweet dreams.”

She gently touched her nephew’s head.

Instead of leaving right away, Serenity sat outside the room until the boys were fast asleep, then she returned to her own room.

WhatsApp messages on her phone,

at his desk with his computer on,

come back to pick

and don’t overwork yourself. I’m going to sleep too. Your son kept kicking me just now, as if protesting and

to bed immediately,

feeling uncomfortable lying on her

keep messaging and make it hard for

to Jensburg. Lilian had said it would be

Wiltspoon, assessing Grandpa Jimenez’s health before

everyone she cared about would be safe

Soon, she fell asleep.

strangers. Her subconscious told her the strangers