Chapter 149
~ Octavia ~
I groaned softly, the sound low and ragged in my throat as consciousness slowly pulled me back from the darkness. My eyelids fluttered open, heavy and reluctant, and for a long moment I simply stared at the ceiling, disoriented. The sterile white tiles and the faint beeping of monitors told me I was back in a hospital room, but the details felt hazy, like waking from a nightmare that refused to fade.
Where am I?
I sat up slowly, wincing at the dull ache in my head and the stiffness in my limbs. My mother was seated in a chair beside the bed, her head tilted forward in exhausted sleep, one hand still loosely holding mine. The sight of her brought a rush of warmth and relief, but it also triggered the flood.
Everything came back.
The memories hit me like a tidal wave—sharp, vivid, and merciless.
