Chapter 80: Shared Breath

Noah’s

The first sensation was a throbbing ache—a dull, steady drumbeat of pain echoing relentlessly behind my eyes. Then came the soft, golden light, slowly cutting through the thick, cotton-like fog in my head. I blinked repeatedly until the blur sharpened into something familiar and deeply comforting: Ella’s private room. The clean, gentle scent of rain and her favorite jasmine candle lingered peacefully in the air. My chest instantly eased its tension.

I ...