The loose hospital gown slid from Sasha’s shoulders, the thin fabric whispering faintly against her skin as it slipped down her arms and pooled soundlessly at her feet. The cool air of the sterile room prickled against her exposed skin, raising goosebumps along her arms, but she scarcely felt it.
Her attention was fixed solely on the mirror in front of her, on the reflection of the woman staring back at her. Same delicate features. Same tired, hollowed eyes. But there was something else now—a shift so subtle yet undeniable, as if the person in the glass wasn’t quite the same woman who had walked into the hospital.
She swallowed hard, her throat dry, and reached for the sink, her movements slow and deliberate. Twisting the faucet, she let the icy water rush over her trembling fingers, g
