Ryan’s POV

My eyes gradually fluttered open, and I immediately shut them again when the blinding fluorescent lights above pierced through my skull like needles. A groan escaped my lips as I lifted my hand to shade my eyes, cracking them open again more cautiously this time.

The pounding in my head was brutal, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as the sharp throbs coming from the cuts on my chest. Each breath tugged at the torn skin like a cruel reminder that I wasn’t ...