At nine o’clock the next morning, Dorian’s servant entered his bedroom carrying a tray with a cup of hot chocolate and opened the shutters.
Dorian was sleeping peacefully on his right side, with one hand beneath his cheek.
He looked like a young boy exhausted after playing or studying.
The servant had to touch him twice on the shoulder before he woke.
When Dorian opened his eyes, a faint smile appeared on his lips, as though he had been having a pleasant dream.
But he had not dreamed at all.
His sleep had been completely empty, with no images of happiness or suffering.