Aurora's POV

The cell's darkness was a comfort, a heavy cloak that allowed me to retreat into the fractured landscape of my mind. Every muscle ached, every bone felt bruised, and my throat was raw, dry, and tasted of old blood. Hunger gnawed at my stomach, a dull, constant throb that occasionally flared into sharp, dizzying pangs. Sleep offered no escape; it was a fragmented affair, haunted by the Sterlings' faces, by Max's desperate pleas and Leo's cold, analytical gaze. But even in ...