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Chapter 3: The First Night
The room was beautiful.
Too beautiful.
Florida stood by the door, unsure if she should step in.
The maid who brought her didn't say much—just dropped her suitcase near the bed and left. The door clicked shut behind her, locking the silence in.
The walls were pale cream. The curtains looked expensive. The sheets were white, ironed, untouched. Everything smelled new.
But it didn't feel like hers.
Florida moved slowly, her soaked shoes leaving faint prints on the marble floor. She placed her suitcase by the edge of the wardrobe and sat on the bed without removing her coat.
She was cold, but her chest felt heavier than her body.
A knock came twenty minutes later. Another maid stepped in, wordless, and placed a tray of food on the side table. Rice. Soup. Something green she didn't recognize.
The woman didn't meet her eyes.
"Thank you," Florida whispered.
The door closed again.
She ate in silence. One spoon at a time. Small, quiet bites. Her stomach wasn't hungry, but her body was tired.
By the time she finished, night had fallen completely. She opened her suitcase. Just two dresses, her mother's scarf, some books… and a worn-out sketchbook.
She took it out carefully and ran her fingers across the cover.
Inside were old designs—dresses she dreamed of making. Some were wrinkled from being folded too long. Others had small coffee stains on the edges. But they were hers.
All hers.
She slipped it under her pillow like she always did. As if it could protect her.
Then she changed into a simple nightgown, folded her coat, and lay on the bed.
She stared at the ceiling for a long time.
No one came.
Bryant didn't knock.
He hadn't even asked if she made it to the room.
The house was quiet. Too quiet. The kind of quiet that made her ears ring.
She curled into the sheets and pulled the blanket to her chin.
And for the first time that day, her eyes burned.
Not from anger.
Not even sadness.
Just… tiredness. A kind of emptiness that felt like floating.
Her thoughts came slow and quiet.
> "I'm married."
> "I live in a mansion now."
> "But I've never felt more invisible."
She didn't cry.
Just closed her eyes and waited for sleep.
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End of Chapter 3
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