The next two days were nothing short of pure bliss. For forty-eight hours, I existed in a beautiful, silent vacuum where time didn't matter. I had nothing but free, uninterrupted alone time, and it felt like my lungs could actually expand fully. It felt like I could finally breathe again. I spent the hours soaking in warm baths, watching mindless television, and wrapped in the heavy, comforting embrace of clean hotel linens. I didn't think about the office, I didn't think about Mason’s glares, and I strictly locked away the thought of my mother.
But magic always has an expiration date.
The brutal reality of my situation hit me like a physical blow the exact moment I handed my room key back to the receptionist and checked out. Walking out of those grand glass doors and leaving the air-con
