Chapter 1: Leaving the City
The honking of cars, the hurried figures passing by like blurred shadows, the neon lights dazzling yet cold… all of this had been a familiar part of Thiên Lam’s life for years.
But now, she no longer belonged here.
Her small brown suitcase sat beside the wooden bench at the train station. She watched the passing crowd with a distant gaze. Once, she believed this city was her whole world, that leaving it would mean losing herself. But at this moment, standing at the edge of a new decision, she felt an unfamiliar lightness.
The train rumbled out of the city on an autumn afternoon. The reflection in the window showed a slightly weary face, yet her eyes held a quiet anticipation. Leaning back into the seat, she closed her eyes, feeling the gentle rocking of the train.
A new journey had begun.
The small wooden house stood in the middle of a wildflower field, more than twenty kilometers from the nearest town. When the previous owner led her here, she fell in love at first sight.
It wasn’t a large house. The dark wooden walls and slightly aged tiled roof gave it a rustic charm. Wide windows opened to a small garden filled with golden chrysanthemums, lavender, and ivy climbing up one side of the wall. Beyond lay endless fields of flowers stretching to the horizon.
As she placed her hand on the doorknob, it felt like stepping into another world—a world of solitude and serenity.
(Chapter 1 - End)
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