KATRINA'S POV

I slumped into the sofa in Xavier’s ward the moment Marco left. My entire body felt like lead. My back ached, my eyes burned, and my heart… my heart was just as heavy as my limbs. I had barely slept since today’s surgery, but it wasn’t just physical exhaustion that weighed me down—it was everything else.

The beeping of the monitors filled the silence, steady and constant, almost mocking me with how unbothered it sounded. I closed my eyes for a moment, telling ...