Aria’s POV
The first thing I noticed as I began to stir was the scent of antiseptic. It stung my nose—sharp and sterile, a smell I could never mistake for anything else. Hospital. The lighting above me was soft, but the ceiling tiles were familiar. White. Clean. Too clean. My body felt heavy, drained, and sore in places I couldn’t even begin to describe. My abdomen throbbed with a strange hollowness that made my chest tighten in panic.
I blinked slowly, my vision still adjusting, and turned my head. Irina was lying on the cot beside mine, her eyes already open, watching me. Her gaze was soft, filled with a tenderness I wasn’t used to seeing in her—one that only pain could birth. She’d been crying; I could tell by the redness around her eyes, the rawness in her expression. Her presence wa
