NADIA

A stark, blinding whiteness consumed my vision. The scent of antiseptic burned my nose. The steady, rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor pulsed in the background, dragging me out of the abyss.

My eyelids fluttered open. The ceiling above me was white, too white, like a void swallowing everything. The bright lights stung my eyes, forcing me to blink against the sharp ache pressing against her skull. A dull, throbbing pain radiated from my abdomen, each pulse sharper than the last.

My breath shuddered as the memories from last night flooded into my head. Luciano. The chaos. The escape. And then….my fingers twitched against the stiff hospital sheets. Slowly,...