Chapter 57
Joe's POV
The first thing I felt was the pain. It shot through my head like a wave crashing against sharp rocks. My whole body ached, and for a moment, I couldn't tell where I was. Voices rang like distant echoes. Blurred faces hovered above me, shadows shifting in the dim light of the room.
Then I blinked. Once. Twice, then my eyes adjusted.
I was in my room.
I was back in the palace.
The smell of antiseptic lingered in the air, the sharp tang of medicine clinging to my sheets. I tried to sit up, but the weight of my body fought me. Before I could even struggle further, someone noticed.
"He's awake!" one of the doctors called out.
Suddenly, everyone was on their feet. Their faces filled with hope surrounded me, doctors, guards, palace staff. Ivan. Even those I couldn't recognise.
But my eyes weren't looking for any of them.
