Elena’s POV

After dinner, I obediently took the medicine Dr. Li prescribed and lay back down on the hospital bed.

The sedative worked fast.

My limbs grew heavy, thoughts turning cotton-soft. Through the blur, I heard my mother tidying up, then her voice drifting toward me.

“I’m going back to the hotel. Call me if you feel uncomfortable.”

“Mmm,” I hummed, not even opening my eyes.

The door closed.

Silence settled.

Yet somehow, sleep refused to take me fully.

There was a ...