Early the next morning, Emily awoke while the world outside was still cloaked in darkness. She quietly rolled out of bed, careful not to disturb Alex, who was lying beside her. As she moved, she heard the soft, rhythmic patter of raindrops against the window. Curious, she walked over to the sliding door leading to the balcony and pulled back the curtain slightly.
The scene outside was one of a rainy fall morning—dark clouds hung low in the sky, heavy with rain, which poured down in steady streams. The rain, typical of autumn, was cold and relentless, its chill seeping through the glass and into the room. The sound of it was almost hypnotic, a constant, rhythmic drumming that added to the sense of melancholy that had settled in her heart. The coldness outside seemed to mirror the coldness she felt within, a subtle but pervasive sadness that she couldn't shake.
