The soft light of dawn spilled across the hotel suite like a whispered promise. Outside, the Indian Ocean shimmered under a golden sky. Inside, the sheets were tangled, and the room was warm with the memories of the night before.
Leylla stirred, her bare shoulder peeking out from the sheets. Her hand reached out instinctively to the pillow beside her. It was empty. Still warm.
Her eyes opened slowly, a lazy smile creeping across her lips as she sat up. The robe lay folded on the nearby chair. She slipped it over her skin and padded barefoot across the cool floor to the small table where a tray of breakfast and a handwritten note sat waiting.
“Didn’t want to wake you. Needed to prepare for the final session. – Aldrich.”
She held the note against her chest, her heart fluttering gently. T
