Natalia stood on the porch of the small countryside farmhouse, watching the sun dip behind the rolling fields.
She looked down at her hands no more perfectly manicured nails, just short, clean ones with a bit of dirt under them from tending to the small garden she had started. Her once-fair skin now carried a sun-kissed glow, and her hair, usually styled to perfection, was loose and slightly tousled from the breeze. She looked different. Natural. Real.
"You look beautiful," Maria's voice pulled her from her thoughts. Her new friend, a woman who had lived in the countryside her entire life, sat on the wooden steps, peeling apples. "Ambrose wouldn't even recognize you."
Natalia let out a small chuckle, sitting beside her. "Good."
Maria raised an eyebrow. "Good? You don't miss your old life?"
