Leone’s POV

It was past midnight when I felt her stir.

She hadn’t spoken much since I carried her from the blood-soaked hallway. Just a few words. A tremble in her throat. But her silence said more than anything how deep it cut, how long it had lived inside her.

Now, she turned slightly beneath the sheets. Her back was to me. Still. Quiet. I could barely tell if she was asleep or just hiding in the silence again.

But then her voice came. Soft. Raw.

"Are you awake?"

I turned ...