The sun sank slowly beyond the distant edge of the city, its fading light casting long shadows across the quiet balcony where Ella stood alone, her hands resting lightly upon the railing as though she needed something solid to remind her she was still here, still real, while the golden glow brushed her face with a softness that felt undeserved, and her gaze remained fixed on the horizon where day slipped into night, her posture straight yet no longer untouched by the weight she carried within.
The air was warmer than it had been before, yet it did not soothe her, for her shoulders remained tense beneath the calm she forced upon herself, her breath slow but not entirely steady as though each inhale had to be chosen, had to be controlled, and her fingers curled faintly against the metal beneath her touch, grounding herself in a moment that refused to feel simple.
