FAYE
I blinked against the brightness, my lashes fluttering as the ceiling above me slowly came into focus. For a moment, my mind was blank—no memory of where I was or how I had gotten here.
And then I saw him.
Alexander. Sitting right beside me, his body leaned slightly forward, his elbows resting on his knees, and his eyes fixed on me as though I might vanish if he looked away. His face was serious, blank, but there was something about the tight set of his jaw, the way his hand twitched slightly on his knee, that made my chest tighten.
I frowned, confused. “Alexander?” My voice came out soft.
“You’re awake.” His tone was low.
I shifted slightly, trying to take in my surroundings. This wasn’t my room. The sterile white walls, the faint smell of medicine, the sight of medical equipm
