Elira's POV

The first thing I noticed was pain— a dull gnawing ache that wrapped around my ribs and abdomen, pulsing with every shallow breath I took. My eyelids were heavy as if weighed down by lead fluttering open only with immense effort.

When I tried to move my head, the world spun violently, the room tilting and swaying around me. A metallic taste filled my mouth, my lips trembling and dry.

The machine beeping steadily dragged me to reality. That was a sound I knew too well.

The sound of beeping machines in the hospital.

I was in the hospital.

I shut my eyes again and the memories filled...