SERAPHINA’S POV
I woke slowly, as though I were rising through layers of warm water toward the surface.
Sunlight spilled across my closed eyelids, golden and gentle, and for a few moments, I remained suspended between sleep and wakefulness, wrapped in a strange sense of peace that felt both familiar and unfamiliar.
As I lay there in the silence, confusion set in—a soft, drifting disorientation where nothing had shape or meaning.
Then sensation returned in layers, like petals unfolding one by one.
The first was the feel of silk sheets beneath my fingers, smooth and cool against my skin.
The second was the scent of briny sea air drifting through open balcony doors, salt and jasmine intertwined luxuriously.
The third was the sound of distant laughter, music, and glass clinking somewhere far beyond, as though the world outside was celebrating.
When I finally forced my eyes open, the ceiling above me was unfamiliar.
