Lilia's eyes fluttered open slowly, the sunlight filtering through the slightly parted curtains casting a golden glow on her skin. The warmth of the light painted delicate patterns on her face, but her usually lazy eyes struggled to adjust.
She blinked a few times, her lashes brushing against her cheeks as she willed her mind to wake. Her body felt unusually heavy, and for a brief moment, she wondered if she had dreamt the horrors of the previous night.
But reality quickly set in.
Her breath hitched as she shifted her hand, only to feel a sharp, stinging ache shoot through it. She winced and glanced down. A white bandage wrapped snugly around her hand served as a silent reminder of the night before. Memories came flooding back—fragmented and hazy, but vivid enough to make her heart race. Zethan. She remembered being in his arms, his strong frame a strange source of comfort, before everything faded into darkness.
