Zina's POV
The rhythmic beeping of the machines around me was the only sound I could focus on as I sat in the sterile hospital room. I didn't recognize this place, but the comforting presence of Xaden beside me made me feel like I wasn't entirely lost. The rest of the room felt like a blur, everything out of focus except for him. Xaden. The only person I seemed to remember clearly.
Jared had just left, and I felt a strange emptiness now that his voice had faded. His words didn't quite stick with me, just like the fragments of my memories that drifted in and out. Who was Jared? What was our connection? I didn't know. But Xaden... Xaden was someone I remembered. And it was almost as if that was enough to make everything feel like it could be okay.
