52. Home Feels Too Much Like Home
Asena
I wake up slowly and for a few precious seconds, I don't remember where I am.
The mattress beneath me is soft and the blanket is warm and this shouldn't be the hotel.
A familiar scent lingers in the room, clean cedar mixed with expensive cologne, and before I even open my eyes, my heart already knows where I am: The Hale mansion.
I blink against the morning light filtering through the curtains. The bedroom comes into focus little by little: the high ceiling, the dark wooden furniture, the enormous windows overlooking the gardens.
I fell asleep here. I actually fell asleep while waiting for them.
The memory returns in pieces: I came to return their card, to thank them and to tell them goodbye. Then… Nothing.
I slowly push myself upright and th
