Morning came slowly. The light slipped through the thin curtains in narrow lines, cutting across the room and settling on Seraphina's face like it had every right to be there. She didn't move, because she he hadn't slept.
She watched the sun rise.
Her eyes burned, heavy from staying open too long.
Every sound from the night still lingered in her head—the echo of footsteps behind her, the silence that followed, the words written in something that wasn't ink.
Her fingers tightened slightly against the bedsheet.
The door opened, Seraphina flinched.
Not visibly but not enough for someone to call it out, but her body tensed before she could stop it.
"Good morning!" Emily's voice came in bright, easy, like the night before hadn't happened at all.
Seraphina turned her head slowly.
Emily stepped in, looking fresh , relaxed and happy as always.
Her hair was slightly messy, like she hadn't bothered fixing it, and there was a softness to her smile that hadn't been there before.
