DEREK POV
After Nora finally drifted off to sleep, I stayed beside her for a while, watching the calm rise and fall of her chest. She looked peaceful now, but I knew the pain she carried inside wasn’t something that would vanish in a night. I brushed a strand of hair off her face and sighed quietly.
Before leaving, I walked over to the small shelf near the bed and picked up a small lavender diffuser. I hadn’t used it in months. Back then, when insomnia used to keep me awake for nights after the war from the Elders, I relied on it to calm my mind. The scent always helped silence the noise in my head.
I turned it on and let the soft aroma fill the room. Nora had gone through a shock that cut deep—I didn’t want her to wake trembling from it. If the scent could give her even a little peace,
