Emily's POV
The next morning arrived all too soon, its light piercing through the dark curtains, casting a soft glow upon the room. With eyes sunken from lack of sleep, Marco's words still echoing in my mind, I forced myself not to succumb to tears. Instead, I dragged myself out of bed, the heavy weight of exhaustion clinging to my limbs as I begrudgingly began my day.
As I stepped onto the cool wooden floor, a faint scent of lavender lingered in the air, the remnants of the candle I had lit the previous evening in a feeble attempt to find solace. The morning seemed unusually quiet, the silence broken only by the soft rustling of leaves outside the window and the distant chirping of birds.
I went through the motions of getting Aurora ready for breakfast, the familiar routine offering
