Serena's eyelids fluttered open, her gaze unfocused as she adjusted to the soft glow of the room. Gradually, her vision cleared, and her eyes settled on the man seated beside her bed. His presence was calm and his dark eyes full of warmth and relief as they met hers.
"You're awake again finally," he said softly.
She frowned, her brow knitting as the words tugged at something deep within her. The sensation was fleeting, elusive, and frustratingly out of reach. It took a moment before fragments of her earlier waking resurfaced—a jumble of confusion and fear. She remembered opening her eyes to this same room, cold and unfamiliar, and the crushing panic that had surged through her chest when she realized she didn't know who she was.
Her body stiffened instinctively, the weight of that earlier terror creeping back as she searched her mind for any memories that might have returned.
