The day before Dr. Osei's arrival was clear and warm, the autumn holding on, refusing to surrender to the approaching winter. Aaron woke before the sun had cleared the hills, the room still grey with the last remnants of night, and lay still for a long moment, letting the day take shape around him. He did not reach for his phone. He did not check the time. He simply lay there, breathing, feeling the cool air on his face, listening to the silence of the villa before it woke.
The room was slowly coming into focus — the outline of the window, the pale rectangle of the door, the shape of Sophie's robe draped over a chair. Outside, a bird called once, then fell silent. The lake was invisible in the darkness, but he could hear it, a faint lapping against the dock that had become as familiar as his own breathing.
