Aria's POV.The beeps woke me up first.They dragged me out of a thick, foggy sleep where time had no meaning and pain came and went in distant waves. For a moment, I didn’t know where I was. The ceiling above me was too white, too clean. The air smelled faintly of antiseptic and plastic, sharp enough to sting my nose.Then the ache settled in.My shoulder throbbed, a deep, heavy pain that felt lodged in my bones. I sucked in a breath and flinched despite myself, my fingers curling against the thin hospital sheet. The movement made the pain spike, a reminder I couldn’t escape.Sunlight crept in through the half-open blinds, spilling golden lines across the floor and my bed. It felt almost cruel, but warm, lazy, peaceful, and so wrong after everything that had happened yesterday. Life outside was still moving, still glowing, while I lay here stitched together and sore.I turned my head slowly, carefully.And that’s when I saw him.Lucien sat in the chair beside my bed, slouched in a wa
Last Updated : 2025-12-31 Read more