The first rays of dawn slipped through the curtains, bathing the bedroom in pale gold.
Liora stirred beneath the blankets.
For a few moments, she simply listened.
The room was silent except for the gentle rustle of leaves outside the balcony doors and the distant songs of birds welcoming the new day.
Her eyelids fluttered open.
She blinked at the unfamiliar ceiling.
Then everything came rushing back.
Heat flooded her cheeks.
She buried her face in the pillow.
"...Oh, God."
Fragments of the previous night drifted through her mind like pieces of a dream.
Caelan's voice calling her name.
His arms around her.
The way he had looked at her...
She squeezed her eyes shut.
"I can never look him in the face again."
Slowly, she peeked beside her.
The other side of the bed was empty.
