Hailey’s POV
I felt the world tilt sideways. Pain clawed at my body, sharp and relentless, yet strangely muffled, like I was watching everything through a fogged glass. My eyelids felt heavy, fluttering against the weight of darkness pressing in. Someone was there—familiar, steady, warm—but I couldn’t focus.
“Hailey, stay with me,” a voice urged. My ears barely registered it, but the tone was urgent, almost panicked. I tried to lift my head, but my body refused, trembling violently under the lingering ache of Vanessa’s attack. I could smell the faint scent of antiseptic, the clean sterility of a hospital room. My chest heaved, each breath shallow, brittle.
“Roy…?” I whispered, my voice hoarse and cracked. My eyes fluttered open just enough to see his worried face hovering over me. His d
