KIRA

I woke to sunlight streaming through the windows.

My body felt heavy, relaxed in a way it hadn't been in weeks. The sedative had forced my muscles to release tension I didn't even know I was carrying.

Dante was still there.

He sat in the same chair, slumped forward, asleep with his head on the edge of my bed. His hand was wrapped around mine, like he'd been holding it all night.

He looked terrible. Thinner than I'd ever seen him, dark circles so deep they looked like bruises, stubble ...