Chapter 4 — Hotel Confessions

James

The hotel was modest but clean, its lobby bathed in soft yellow light that offered a reprieve from the cold drizzle of the London night outside. James stood at the check-in desk, his posture stiff, his tie still perfectly knotted. The receptionist typed with polite efficiency, the faint smell of rain-soaked wool from his coat mingling with the lemony scent of cleaning solution. Beside him, Mia shifted her weight from foot to foot, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. She hadn’t said much since they arrived, her silence heavier than the rain-soaked coat she clutched in her hands.