Morning did not arrive all at once. It unfolded in layers, light finding its way through the city in a measured climb, touching glass and concrete with a patience that felt deliberate. Violet noticed it as she moved through her apartment, the way the brightness did not demand anything from her. It simply existed, steady and present, much like the state she had carried home the night before.

She stood at the window for a moment longer than usual, hands resting loosely at her sides. Her reflection looked familiar in a way that felt earned rather than accidental. There was no sense of bracing herself for the day. Her body...