Chapter 13

The sun shone especially brightly in Emberland. Zoe opened her apartment's window and allowed the cool sea breeze to brush across her cheeks. She took a deep breath. The air carried a faint scent of salt and flowers, completely different from that of the constantly rainy city in her memories. "How are you feeling today?" Luke's voice came from behind her, followed by the soft click of the door unlocking. She turned to see him entering with a bouquet of fresh sunflowers in his arms. The golden petals glowed brightly under the sunlight. "Much better. The wounds barely hurt now." She took the flowers and gently brushed her fingertips over the soft petals. Later, Luke placed the bouquet in a vase and began skillfully trimming the leaves. For the past two months, he'd been bringing her different flowers every day. Sometimes, there were daisies, and sometimes, he would bring roses. It seemed that today's were sunflowers. He'd never said sentimental words and simply set the flowers on