Damon’s POV
The first thing I noticed was the silence.
Not the kind that comforted you. The kind that buzzed at the edges of your mind, too still, too sharp. The world felt muffled — like I was underwater. Dim light leaked in through half-closed blinds. A slow, rhythmic beep tracked my pulse.
Hospital.
The thought came sluggishly, like dragging a stone uphill.
I tried to move my head, but pain flared sharply across my temple. My throat was dry, sandpaper-scraped. Every breath burned a little.
I didn’t remember what had happened.
Didn’t remember how I got here.
Just fragments. Flickers.
Voices. A woman crying. The weight of someone’s hand on mine.
I blinked hard, trying to make the fog clear. Nothing.
But the ache in my chest wasn’t just physical.
It felt like a part of me had b
