Chapter 143

Viona's POV

The first thing I felt was the weight of silence.

It pressed against my ears, heavier than stone, broken only by the faint beeping of machines and the soft rush of air from a nearby vent. My body ached as if I had been torn apart and stitched back together with burning threads. My mouth was dry, my throat raw, my chest bound in invisible pressure that made every breath shallow.

My eyelids fluttered, and the world swam into view in blurred streaks of white. The ceiling ...