Page 137 of Sage Haven

---

And for a fleeting second, it was enough.

I stayed under the water until my skin was raw and pink.

Then I dried off, wrapping myself in one of the soft black towels Reich had left in the closet.

It was warmer than I expected.

A cocoon that I didn’t want to break out of.

But I did.

I forced myself to move to the closet.

The moment I stepped inside, it was like entering another world.

Rows of clothing—luxury brands I couldn’t pronounce—hung in perfect symmetry.

Mostly black, a few grays, a handful of rich, deep tones that hinted at life.

And somewhere in between them, my own clothes were hidden like artifacts from a different existence.

I ran my fingers over the fabrics.

Soft silks, delicate lace, cool leather.

Things I never thought I’d wear.

Things that felt too beautiful for someone like me.

And yet…here they were.

As if they had been bought with me in mind.

As if he wanted me to have them.

I stopped at a dress.

Short, black, fit-and-flare, with a lace slit down the middle that hinted at something sinful.

I didn’t have anywhere to wear it. Nowhere I could even attempt to go.

But tonight…tonight I just wanted to feel something other than hollow, if only for myself.

I slipped it on, the fabric whispering over my skin like a lover’s touch.

And when I looked in the mirror—shockingly—I didn’t hate what I saw.

I wasn’t whole.

I wasn’t fixed.

But I wasn’t gone either.

Not yet.

My eyes burned with tears and I let them fall.

Because maybe I was starting to heal. One fractured piece at a time.

---