PHOENIX

Opening my eyes the next morning was not a great feeling for me. I turned sideways and wasn't surprised to meet the other side of the bed empty. I knew Rayna had stayed till she was sure I was fast asleep. I would not ask her for too much.

The thought of her brightened my face and I eagerly got up, ready for the day. I made to wash up, as I gingerly scrubbed off the marks of the incident with Gregory. However, I couldn't scrub one thing off. The way Claudius looked at me. The shame I felt. And I scrubbed harder, until I heard a voice 'Phoenix,...