Chapter 55: The New Dawn
Maya woke to the smell of coffee and the sound of birds.
Not the panicked birds of the early morning, the ones that seemed to scream at the sun. These were different. Lazy. Content. She lay still for a moment, letting the sounds wash over her. The light coming through the curtains was pale and soft, the kind that made everything look like it was covered in a thin layer of gold. She could hear the gentle rustle of leaves outside, the distant hum of a truck on the highway. The world felt quiet in a way it hadn't in weeks. She let herself sink into it, let the peace settle into her bones. She could feel the warmth of the blankets around her, the softness of the pillow beneath her head. She could feel the weight of her own body, heavy and relaxed. She didn't want to
