When Delphine awoke from her dazed state, the bedroom was enveloped in silence. The light filtered in through the gaps of the dark-patterned curtains, faint traces of sandalwood lingering in the air.
She sat up, a cold, damp towel slipping to the ground, the smoky-blue, ornate quilt trailing behind her.
She buried her head beneath the quilt, her mind clear. She should leave this place, yet her body refused to obey, her limbs unmoving. For five years she had wandered aimlessly, circling back to this place, only for the last threads of familial ties to be severed. She didn't know where her life would lead from here.
Lost in her thoughts, the slightly ajar bedroom door creaked open.
The man gestured to his assistant behind him to keep silent, then stepped into the room.
"Did you sleep well?" he asked as he stood near the bed, leaning down slightly to smooth out her disheveled hair with his hand.
Delphine didn't respond, her head tucked into her knees like a little ostrich.
