Iva stirred slowly, as if her body had been dragged back to consciousness rather than waking naturally.
Everything ached.
Not sharp pain—just the deep exhaustion that followed emotional collapse.
Her eyelids felt heavy when she finally forced them open. For several seconds she stared blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling, her mind struggling to reconnect with reality.
Where…
Her gaze drifted slowly around the room.
The soft neutral walls.
The enormous window framed by thick curtains.
The elegant furniture that looked like it belonged in a luxury magazine.
Then memory returned like a sudden tide.
Caleb’s penthouse.
The broken hostel room.
The tears she could no longer hold back.
The couch.
She blinked again, confused.
“…Wait.”
Her head lifted slightly from the pillow.
She was n
