Kimi returned to an empty house. Her mother had already left for the hospital, leaving behind only silence and the faint scent of coffee from the morning.
She spent the entire day locked in her bedroom, staring at the ceiling and wrestling with thoughts about what lay ahead. The weight of recent revelations pressed down on her chest like a stone. All she could do now was trust that Felix would treat her mother with the love and respect she deserved.
As evening shadows stretched across her living room, Kimi found herself sprawled on the couch, mindlessly flipping through television channels. The shrill ring of her phone cut through the quiet, but she barely glanced toward the kitchen table where she had abandoned it after lunch.
The ringing persisted. Kimi groaned and buried her face deeper into the cushions.
"Get up, you lazy mess," she muttered to herself.
