June

The first thing I feel is the breeze.

Soft, salty and cool against my skin, then the sound of the sea — slow, patient waves brushing against the shore like nothing in the world is in a hurry anymore.

When I open my eyes, light spills across everything in gold and pale pink. The sun is just beginning to rise, low and gentle, not burning yet. It paints the water like melted glass.

I'm lying on a beach bed beside my villa.

For a second I panic — hospital, blood, fear — but then I ...