Sophia’s P.O.V

I barely made it to the couch before my knees gave out. The dizziness swept over me like a wave, my vision tunneling as I clutched the armrest for support. My chest heaved, breaths shallow and uneven. I blinked, trying to ground myself, trying to stop the spinning.

The silence that filled the room was deafening, like a storm waiting to break. I looked up at him—Tristan, the man I once thought would tear the world down to protect me—and forced the words past ...