Chapter 203

• The boutique was quieter than I had grown used to. I noticed it first in the mornings, when the door would stay closed long after I had turned the sign to “open.” The hum of footsteps outside seemed lighter, almost as if the whole street had slowed its breathing.
• I tried not to let the silence settle too heavily on me. I busied myself with small tasks, rearranging displays that did not really need rearranging and smoothing fabrics that already lay flat. The space still held beauty, but without the rhythm of customers, it felt like a stage waiting for actors who had not arrived.
• My new assistant, Aisha, noticed it too. She was young, still in university, and had started helping me part-time after Claudia left to begin her own studio. Aisha moved with eagerness, but even she slowed under the weight of fewer customers.