**Elena’s POV**

As I stepped out of the building, my whole body went numb.

My feet hit the sidewalk, but I couldn't feel the ground. It was like I was floating in the air. Everything went numb — my hands, my face, my heart. Then reality hit me like a train on high speed, a brutal, dizzying wave of pain that stole the air from my lungs.

I stumbled toward my car. My chest pounded so hard I thought my ribs would snap. I felt like I was about to collapse right there on the pavement, where ...