Naomi's POV
Morning light seeped through the curtains, golden and gentle, casting lazy shadows across the hospital room walls. A soft breeze made the curtain sway, and for once, the stillness wasn’t heavy. It was...comforting. The kind of peace that tasted like warm toast and honey tea. Like freshly laundered sheets and a hug you didn’t have to ask for.
Layla had spent the night in the uncomfortable hospital recliner beside me, her curls smashed on one side and a smear of drool at the corner of her mouth. She looked every inch like someone who claimed to be a princess in another life but slept like a snoring truck driver.
My mom had brought me fresh clothes, soft cotton pajamas with little peaches on them. I hadn’t worn anything this soft in weeks. Or maybe months. Everything before now
