Traffic was light, the coastal road winding between sunlit dunes and glimpses of glittering blue water. With the windows down, the warm air carried the scent of salt and seaweed, and the tension in her shoulders began to ease for the first time in days.
When she finally stepped onto the sand, the sound of the tide rolling in felt like a balm. She strolled past the busiest clusters of umbrellas and beach towels, not looking for complete solitude, but just enough distance to muffle the hum of conversation and the squeals of children.