The red room was quiet now, its crimson walls softened by the faint morning rays filtering through heavy curtains.
The black leather bed beneath us was warm, tangled with a black sheet that draped over our naked body. My muscles felt heavy but calm, the frenzy of the night with Elizabeth, the First Lady, leaving me drained yet strangely at peace.
My mind drifted somewhere maybe because of exhaustion, and in that hazy space, a vision of Aeri appeared. Her voice echoed, soft and clear, calling my name—"Ezra…"—her bright smile vivid, her naked body glowing in a pool of darkness. Her hands reached out, cupping my cheeks, her touch gentle, grounding. "Are you tired, Ezra?" she asked, her voice tender, her eyes searching mine.
"A little…" I muttered, my voice cracking, the weight of life.
Her presence a soothing calm, pulling me into a fleeting dream.
