C81 Morning That Feels Different

The next morning came soft and pale, light spilling through the tall windows of the mansion.

The rain had stopped, but the air still smelled faintly of it — that clean, uneasy stillness that comes after a storm.

Arun sat at the long dining table again, his fingers wrapped around a warm cup of tea.

He tried to keep his focus on the steam, the sound of the maids moving quietly in the kitchen