The cool morning air carried the faint scent of damp earth and woodsmoke through the open window of the guest room. Sunbeams cut through the curtains, casting warm stripes across the wooden floorboards.
Jake stirred first, his eyes adjusting to the quiet, unfamiliar room. The peaceful hum of Darmin on a Sunday morning was a world away from the dull roar of highway traffic outside his capital high-rise. Beside him, Catharine was still fast asleep, her face relaxed, her head resting lightly against his chest. One of her arms was draped over his torso, her breathing steady and deep.
He didn't move for a long time. He just lay there, watching the soft rhythm of her shoulders, letting the quiet sink in. Knowing what her early life had been like, seeing her this rested in her childhood home felt like a small, quiet victory.
