ELENA

The first thing I noticed when my eyes fluttered open was the faint golden light seeping in through the curtains. Morning had come, but I didn’t feel like moving.

My entire body felt weak, drained, like I had been running a marathon in my sleep. And in a way, I had been. My mind had spent the entire night wrestling with thoughts that had no clear answers, and now I was left with this empty, exhausted feeling that made me want to stay in bed forever.

Sleep never came.

Every time I ...