Chapter 224: The Porridge and the Plan
When Sophia's eyes fluttered open, the first thing she noticed was the stillness. It wasn't the kind of silence that followed night, but the sleepy hush of afternoon light filtering through thin curtains. Her body felt heavier than usual, as though she'd been sleeping for days instead of hours.
For a brief second, her hand reached out to the other side of the bed — instinctively searching for warmth that wasn't there. The linen was cool. Empty.
Her brows furrowed. Orion?
Blinking hard, she pushed herself upright, her head throbbing faintly at the temples. Her hair fell over one shoulder in soft tangles. She rubbed her eyes with the heel of her palm, trying to gather her bearings. The light in the room had that soft gold that came late in the day — the time when the world began to quiet but had not yet surrendered to evening.
