ElenaI wake up to warmth. Not pain this time. Not fear. Warmth. For a second, I stay still, eyes closed, letting myself feel it before reality crashes back in. Something heavy rests against the side of the bed. A hand wrapped around mine. My breathing slows instinctively. Cillian. The realization settles softly through me. Safe.I open my eyes slowly. The room is dim again, rain still tapping lightly against the windows. The clock near the monitor reads just after three in the morning. Everything aches. But less. Still painful. Still tight when I breathe too deeply. But manageable. Barely.My gaze drifts immediately toward him. And my chest tightens. Cillian is asleep. Actually asleep. Half sitting in the chair beside my bed, head tilted slightly toward me, one hand still holding mine tightly, even unconscious. I stare at him quietly. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him like this before. Not guarded. Not cold. Not dangerous. Just… exhausted.His face looks harder when he sleeps, somehow
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