Chapter 135

Sofia. The weight of the room pressed down on me, thick with unspoken words and unresolved tension. Arsen’s shallow breaths and the scent of antiseptic—it all felt suffocating. But more than that, I felt the suffocation in my chest, in my heart. The space between us was growing larger by the second, and I was helpless to stop it. I could feel the heaviness of my thoughts, the constant battle inside me between the love I couldn’t deny and the anger I couldn’t quite bury. I wasn’t sure what was worse—loving him or trying to pretend I didn’t feel anything at all. But I had to face it. I loved Arsen. No matter how many times I tried to bury it, no matter how many walls I built around my heart, it was still there, pulsing, undeniable. And now, as I sat beside his hospital bed, watching him fight for his life, I couldn’t pretend any longer. The door to the room creaked open, and I didn’t need to look up to know who it was. Nadei’s scent, the heavy weight of Nikolai’s presence, the quiet foot