KATHERINE’S POV
I woke up feeling tired and weak—like I’d been dragged through a war I didn’t remember signing up for. The light in the room was soft, golden, almost too calm for the chaos echoing inside my chest.
My arm ached.
I blinked, slowly turning my head to the side. Bandages wrapped tightly around my bicep, and when I reached up with trembling fingers, I felt more along my scalp. My head throbbed underneath them, pulsing like a reminder of something horrible I hadn’t fully pieced together yet.
“What happened…?” I whispered aloud, voice hoarse. My throat burned.
That’s when the door creaked open, and Andrew—no, Jake—walked in, holding a bowl with steam rising off it. Soup, maybe. I couldn’t tell. My eyes were still adjusting.
His steps were slow but steady, and when he looked
