Betty POV
"Wake up, Betty, please," a voice whispers.
The words bounce off the thick walls of the darkness inside my own head.
I try to lift my arm. I try to drag my eyelids open. Nothing moves. My skin feels like cold lead, heavy and pinned to the mattress.
"I miss you," the voice says. It is Nina. She sounds small, her throat tight with tears. "I think of you as my sister. You showed me that I can be strong. I want you to taste the pastries I make. I want you by my side when I give birth to my first child."
A heavy silence drops over the room. I can hear the clock ticking on the wall.
"That will happen in less than a year, by the way," Nina whispers, her voice cracking. "You are going to be an aunt. Please, Betty. I love you."
My chest aches. The urge to break through the black vo
