Anna had woken up hours later near the door, curled into herself, cold and shivering.
The sun was beginning its descent through the window of her sitting room, painting the sky with its orange hued light.
The skin around her eyes and cheeks felt tight, dry and scratchy.
Usually, she would sit by the window and watch the sun disappear, imagining someone somewhere else sitting like she was, watching it light up their sky.
It brought her a sense of shared experience, but today… the same light felt empty, as if it belonged to a world she couldn’t reach.
When she finally dragged herself off the floor to the bathroom, she winced when she caught her reflection in the mirror.
Her eyes were red and puffy, tear streaks marking her cheeks.
Exhaling, she stripped slowly, turned the water t
