ROMAN
I remembered the heat of it. The unnatural burn that had spread outward, like something poisonous had been poured into my veins. It hadn’t been the kind of injury that disappears overnight.
Frowning, I lifted the hem of my shirt and tugged at the bandage carefully.
My breath stalled.
Smooth skin.
I stared at it, certain I was looking at the wrong place.
I shifted my hand slightly, tracing along my ribs, searching for raised tissue, for uneven texture, for anything that suggested healing flesh.
There was nothing.
No scar. Only slight discoloration.
No tightness.
It was as if it had never been there.
A cold feeling settled low in my stomach.
I lowered my shirt slowly.
That didn’t make sense.
Maybe it hadn’t been as severe as I remembered.
No. That wasn’t true. I remember
