Mara arrived home from the office just as the sun was folding itself beneath the horizon, leaving behind streaks of tangerine and violet that bled through the sky like watercolor. The air inside the house smelled faintly of warm bread, a scent the maid had thoughtfully made routine to welcome her back with.
She dropped her handbag and keys on the glass table by the door and, without even glancing toward the living room, headed straight for the sink. The cool water danced over her fingers, washing away the sterile touch of paperwork, handshakes, and the clinging stress of the day. She watched as it slipped down the drain, a silent ritual she'd come to rely on shedding the weight of her other life before stepping fully into this one.
A small chorus of laughter echoed from the sitting room, light and untamed. Her heart gave a tender lurch.
