AVERY’S POV:
When I rolled over, pain licked up my spine and curled around my finger, a scorching reminder that Axel had branded me.
My breath hitched, and I let my eyes flutter open, the brightness of the room forcing me to squint as I adjusted.
My back was to the door. I stayed still for a moment, absorbing the silence, waiting for my mind to catch up with my body.
I expected to feel regret. Shame. Maybe even fear. But all I felt was... calm. A strange, weightless kind of peace.
Axel wasn’t beside me. The sheets beside me were cold, but before I could dwell on it, the door creaked open. Heavy footsteps crossed the room, and then he was there—carrying a first aid kit in one hand and a folder in the other.
He barely spared the folder a glance before tossing it onto the vanity, his
