The golden light of morning filtered through the sheer curtains, casting delicate patterns across the creamy duvet of the master bedroom.
Birds chirped softly from the garden beyond the windows, their melody blending with the faint hum of the city waking up in the distance. Inside the room, warmth lingered from the night before, and the scent of vanilla from the candle Ruby had lit still hung faintly in the air.
Ruby stirred beneath the covers, her eyes fluttering open to the soft light. Her first instinct was to roll over and snuggle into Stefan's chest—but the space beside her was empty. Cold.
Her brows furrowed as she pushed herself up on one elbow. Stefan wasn't on the bed nor in the room.
The bathroom door was ajar, the lights off. A glance at the ornate clock on the wall told her it was well past eight. She'd slept in.
She sat up fully now, tucking the duvet around her waist as she reached for her phone. There was nothing to see there.
