Summer Thorne regained consciousness to the unfamiliar sound of birds chirping and insects buzzing.
Such sounds were practically nonexistent in the city. Her mind took a long time to process them, leaving her to believe she was only dreaming.
Until...
A hand gently stroked her head.
The touch was so familiar yet so foreign—infinitely gentle, yet infinitely painful.
In an instant, it yanked Summer Thorne from her daze and back to reality.
She snapped her eyes open. Before her was a sparsely furnished room, the air thick with an unfamiliar scent. The curtains were drawn, revealing the green canopy of trees outside. The birdsong and chirping insects seemed to grow even clearer at the sight of all that green.
Summer Thorne stared blankly at the window for a few seconds before slowly pulling her gaze away to look at the man sitting by her bed.
Even though she had just seen him last night, the Timothy York before her now felt like a stranger.
