Sleep never came. Not really. Aria lay still in the dark, eyes open, fixed on nothing. Beyond the glass, the city stretched endlessly — lights flickering, movement constant — but inside the room, everything felt suspended. Quiet. Too quiet.
Her thoughts wouldn't leave her. It replayed everything. The files. The timelines. The funding. That word which wouldn't go away: Medical. She half turned around and looked at the dim outline of the ceiling. Er chest tightened again.
That same feeling from earlier. Not panic. Not yet. But something close. Something building.
A hospital room. White walls. Cold air. Her hands holding her still. She could see voices she couldn't hear but couldn't move quite so well. Too calmly. Aria blinked her eyes tightly. “No,” she whispered. Barely audible. Howev
