|Carmella|
The muffled hum of voices nudged me from the fog of unconsciousness. At first, it was distant, like the distorted echo of a memory, but it gradually sharpened, pulling me into awareness. A steady, rhythmic beeping punctuated the low murmur, and the sharp, antiseptic tang of disinfectant filled my nose. My eyelids fluttered, heavy and reluctant, until they finally opened to a stark white ceiling that felt foreign and unwelcoming.
The hospital.
A sharp inhale sent a searing pain through my side, and I hissed, my hand instinctively twitching toward the source of the discomfort. My body felt like lead, weighed down by exhaustion and an ache that radiated through every limb. Then, like the tide rushing in, the memories came crashing down—Marcus’s attack, the sharp sting of his han
