Elaine POV
As I opened my eyes, the world around me became focused slowly, like I was emerging from a deep, foggy dream. The first thing I noticed was the unfamiliar ceiling above me, white and sterile.
Blinking a few times to clear the haze, I tried to make sense of my surroundings. The room was quiet, the air filled with the faint scent of antiseptic and something comforting—lavender, maybe.
I sat up cautiously, feeling a dull muscle ache as though I had been lying still for far too long.
My gaze swept over the room, and I noticed the figure slumped in a chair beside my bed.
At first, my eyes struggled to focus, but as I rubbed them and looked again, recognition hit me like a wave.
It was Aeron.
He was sitting there, his arms crossed over his chest, his head resting against t
