Perhaps because he had drunk too much alcohol and had been overindulgent the night before, combined with several days of restless sleep, Howard Coleman slept especially soundly this time. By the time he opened his eyes and came to, it was already twelve o'clock at noon.
His deep indulgence from the night before left Howard's body feeling a little lax. He lazily turned over and realized he was not wearing any clothes. Noticing he wasn't in his own bed made his brows knit together subconsciously, and then the events of last night with Madeleine flashed rapidly through his mind.
Howard abruptly extended his hand to touch the spot beside him, only to find it empty. He sat up instinctively, looked around Madeleine's bedroom, but did not see her anywhere. Then, wrapping the bedsheet around himself, he searched the dressing room and the bathroom in succession, yet she was nowhere to be found.
