The sunlight streamed through the sheer curtains, casting a warm golden hue across the room. I blinked a few times, trying to shake off the remnants of sleep that clung to my mind like whispers of the night.

The clock on the bedside table read 8 a.m., but it felt like I had emerged from a dream that spanned weeks. The comforting weight of a cloudless morning enveloped me, the kind that promised serenity and lazy moments ahead.