18: preparation

Aria dressed up in her straight skirt and chiffon top, looking chic and professional for work. She looked at herself in the mirror; her red eye bags underneath her eyes had dried off. Her face didn't look pale anymore; it looked bright. She felt fit for work. When Robert came to visit her the other day, she promised to resume the next day, and he assured her that she could resume anytime she had herself back. She then took two days to recuperate. She wished she had taken less, but it was beyond her control. She hoped he was angry at her, nor did he consider her unprofessional for leaving her duties unattended to for the past four days. Although she had suggested that they communicated via phone and scheduled his meetings since the work phone was with her, he declined. If there was one thing she had noticed about him, it was how considerate he was, so she wasn't going to take that for granted.

She walked into the parlor. It was void of present; Anna must have gone to work and forgot to