AVA'S POV
The alarm didn't just ring; it shrieked, a jagged sound that tore me out of a sleep I hadn't truly been resting in.
I groaned, the sound vibrating in my throat as I slapped a hand over my eyes, groping blindly for the phone.
The screen burned bright in the dim room.
7:00 a.m.
I lay frozen for a minute, a desperate, silent prayer that my body might somehow decide to cooperate, to override the misery building in my gut.
Instead, a sharp, twisting cramp lanced through my lower abdomen, tightening like a vice.
I squeezed my eyes shut, my breath hitching.
"Oh, come on..."
Another wave hit, stronger this time, rolling through me with brutal efficiency.
I buried my face in the pillow, the fabric damp with the sweat of a nightmare I couldn't remember.
"Seriously?"
It was the
