Chapter 5: I’m a doctor
The robotic seatbelt automatically tightened around Lethia, adjusting its pressure with precise ease.
It left her momentarily awed—this was the latest generation of electric cars, found only in Ashenhold, the Capital.
The cool synthetic seat shifted beneath her, moulding itself to her shape for maximum comfort.
A droplet landed on the back of her hand. She wiped it away, only then realising she had shed an unintentional tear.
Her gaze lifted to the blue holographic display projected onto the windscreen, mapping out the car's destination.
"Thank you... and sorry. We're headed to the same place, so..." Her voice caught in her throat, thick with something she couldn't quite swallow.
Heat burned behind her eyes—those unwelcome tears falling again.
Her pale knuckles brushed against her cheek in a feeble attempt to erase them, but the sharp sniff she took only betrayed her.
Lethia wondered if her tears were worth the shame. She just wanted to shut her feelings off.
Only hours ago, she had been sitting on her comfortable bed, but now... was there even a home left to return to?
She turned to the window, hoping to mask her moment of weakness from the stranger beside her.