The Flower That Grew from Ashes novel Chapter 133

Annelise was tormented by brutal jet lag all night. By five in the morning, she was wide awake and completely unable to fall back asleep.

She didn't try to force it. Wrapping herself in the soft duvet, she walked over to the window and sat down.

November in Oslo meant the sun rose incredibly late.

At six-thirty in the morning, the sky outside was still a thick, unyielding ink-blue.

The streets were completely deserted, with only the streetlights dutifully casting warm yellow halos into the dark.

In the distance, the faint morning light revealed the shimmering, flowing silver of the fjord.

The world was so quiet it felt as if nothing existed except her and her own breathing.

This absolute tranquility slowly settled her heart, which had been put through endless agonizing turbulence over the past two weeks.

She sat there peacefully, watching the sky shift from deep blue to a pale, misty dawn, and finally to a bright, clear light gray.

At ten in the morning, the doorbell rang.

It was Alyssa. She held a large shopping bag stuffed to the brim with daily essentials. Milk, bread, butter, eggs, and a massive pack of toilet paper.

"Good morning, Ms. Sargent! How did you sleep?"

Alyssa wore a bright, infectiously warm smile typical of her sunny personality. She made herself right at home, instantly putting away the groceries into the fridge piece by piece.

"I figured since you just got here, you might not know where the stores are, so I grabbed some basics for you. Don't mention it—we expats have to look out for each other!"

After Alyssa finished her chores and said her goodbyes, Annelise rummaged through the kitchen cabinets until she found an empty jam jar left by the previous tenant.

She washed the jar thoroughly and filled it halfway with water.

Then, she took the lilies from the table, walked into the kitchen, and grabbed a small paring knife.

She carefully re-trimmed the base of each stem at a perfect forty-five-degree angle, stripping away excess leaves and keeping only the most vibrant blooms and a few green leaves.

With deliberate care, she arranged the freshly trimmed lilies into the little jam jar, varying their heights to create a cascading effect.

In just a few minutes, the exact same bunch of flowers was entirely reborn in her hands.

What had once been a chaotic mess of lilies now sat in the small jar with a stunning, breathable elegance, balanced flawlessly in its spacing and rhythm.