Jennifer’s POV
The first thing I felt was pain.
Not the dull ache of waking up too early or the heaviness of a tired body, but sharp, clawing cramps that twisted through me like knives. They forced my eyes open, dragged me out of whatever fragile dream I had been clinging to, and left me breathless in the quiet of Jack’s cabin.
I curled in on myself, my knees drawing up, a soft whimper escaping before I could stop it. My hand pressed uselessly against my stomach as if I could push the ache away, but it only pulsed harder.
I tried to steady my breathing. In. Out. In. Out. The fire in the hearth had burned low, the faint glow barely touching the corners of the room. Everything was still — except me. My body trembled with every wave of pain, and I hated how fragile I felt.
I sat up slowl
