Chapter 74Astrid’s POVA steady, rhythmic beeping, distant and close all at once, like it was echoing from the inside of my skull. I floated in and out of it, my thoughts thick and slow, my body heavy as if I were trapped beneath water.I tried to move. Something tugged at my arm.“Astrid,” a voice said urgently. “She’s waking up.”My lashes fluttered open, light slicing through my vision, too bright, too white. My head throbbed as the world slowly stitched itself together. The sterile smell of antiseptic that burned my nose.A hospital.Panic surged through me fast.I sucked in a breath and my chest tightened, my hand flying instinctively to my stomach. A sob clawed its way out of me before I could stop it.“My baby,” I croaked. My throat felt raw, scraped hollow. “My baby—”Hands were suddenly on me, warm and familiar, holding me down gently when I tried to sit up. “Easy, sweetheart,” my mother’s voice trembled. “Please, don’t move.”Mom.Her face hovered above mine, pale, eyes red
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