The ripples moved outward like a stone dropped in a still pond. She felt a pull, an invitation to step through the glass and reclaim the fragments of her soul she had left behind in the corners of time. She realized then that the mirror wasn't a judge; it was a doorway.
Adriana stood before the full-length mirror in her dimly lit bedroom, the heavy velvet curtains blocking out the mid-afternoon sun. In her hand was a vintage hairbrush, its silver backing tarnished with age, much like the memories she had been trying to polish for years. She didn’t look at her reflection immediately. Instead, she traced the carved wooden frame of the mirror, feeling the grooves and imperfections under her fingertips.
When the room fell silent again, the mirror showed only an empty bedroom and an open window where the curtains fluttered in a sudden, spirited breeze. Adriana was gone, finally walking toward a reflection she could call her own.