ETHAN'S POV 

The air inside the room smelled faintly of disinfectant and rubbing alcohol. My doctor’s latex gloves squeaked slightly as she adjusted the Velcro straps on my armcast. The moment the cast came off, my skin prickled — itchy, stiff, almost foreign to me. I flexed my fingers slowly, each movement reminding me of the damage that Roman caused.

  A dull ache spread from my elbow to my shoulder, but it wasn’t unbearable. It was progress.

  “Try straightening your arm,” my doctor said in that calm, clinical tone of hers.

  I obeyed, moving slowly. The familiar sting rippled through the muscles, sharp but brief. I winced, then relaxed, breathing...