ADRIAN
The day after the accident...
I opened my eyes to a ceiling I didn’t recognize. Wooden beams. Soft light. The faint smell of pine and damp earth. A fire crackled somewhere nearby, but it didn’t reach me. My body felt heavy, waterlogged, like I was still sinking.
I tried to sit up. A sharp bolt of pain shot through my ribs and I collapsed back onto the mattress with a groan.
Footsteps approached.
“Easy,” a woman said gently. “You took quite a hit.”
I blinked, trying to focus. She stood in the doorway — dark hair pulled back, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, eyes sharp but kind. Familiar, somehow. Familiar in a way that made my stomach twist. But I couldn’t place her.
“Where…?” My voice cracked. My throat felt raw.
“You’re safe,” she said. “My name is Katrina. I was hi
