Anna's POV:

The garage door drops behind us and I'm already reaching for the handle before Alexander cuts the engine.

He doesn't stop me.

I step out onto the cool concrete, the air carrying the faint smell of stone and motor oil, and pull one long, slow breath into my lungs. My chest opens. Four days of antiseptic and fluorescent light and the specific, grinding stillness of a hospital bed — and this single breath feels like something coming ...