The next time Julia opened her eyes, the room was quiet. Too quiet. For several long moments, she simply stared at the white ceiling above her, trying to remember where she was. The soft bed beneath her felt unfamiliar, and the air carried the soothing scent of herbs instead of the smell of the small cabin she had once called home.
Sunlight streamed through the large window, bathing the room in a warm golden glow. Birds chirped somewhere outside, their cheerful songs almost foreign to ears that had grown used to silence and loneliness.
Slowly, Julia turned her head. Her gaze landed on a small wooden table beside her bed. A single sunflower rested inside a simple glass vase. It looked freshly picked. Its bright yellow petals reached toward the morning light as if refusing to acknowledge
