Soft hues of the sky stretched endlessly above, clouds drifting without urgency. The sea crashed against itself below, its violence only an illusion, for the sound it made was a kind of comfort, steady and lulling. Birds of all kinds gathered in the open air, circling and gliding as though they, too, were part of the yacht's quiet passage across the water.
A cream-colored dress danced with the wind, light and unguarded, while a beach hat was held firmly in place, as if even the breeze wished to carry something beautiful away.
I held on to the cold railings, alone, yet cherishing my solitude. I've never felt this peaceful before.
Is this a dream…?
"Oh!" I flinched as I felt a warm, big hand on my waist.
I looked up at the man in a cream suit, the same quiet shade as my dress, and for a moment the world narrowed to that shared color. He looked down at me and smiled, not wide or careless, but warm, the kind that reached me before I understood why.
Something in my chest softened without permission.
His features were unmistakably masculine, sharp lines shaped by strength and years, yet his expression carried a gentleness that disarmed me. Almond-shaped eyes met mine, steady and calm, holding a softness that felt strangely familiar, as if I had known it long before I could name him.
I searched his face for recognition, for memory, but found only the warmth settling into me, unasked and unexplained, as though my body knew him even when my mind did not.
"Dahlia…"
He knows my name!
"DAHLIA MAEVE ASTORIA!"
I shot upright in bed as my aunt's voice rang through the house, calling my full name with sharp anger. Panic surged through me. I scrambled to straighten the bed and dashed to the bathroom, moving through my morning routine in a frantic blur.
"Shit, shit, shit…" My heart pounded in my chest, each beat a drum of anxiety—I had overslept, and I knew she would likely punish me again for being late with my chores.