Zayne stirred awake to the warmth of sunlight spilling through the window, and for a moment, he wondered if he was still dreaming. It was only in his dreams that he found any semblance of peace—visions of someone lying beside him, soft and comforting, the only place he felt truly at ease.

But then the thought hit him, sharp and unsettling. Someone? His pulse quickened as he jolted upright, his heart racing. No, it wasn't just someone. But it was, here she was, curled up beside him, her familiar weight grounding him to reality.

He glanced around the room, recognizing it instantly—a place he'd seen countless times in his dreams, yet today, it felt real, completely and utterly real.

It was as though he had crossed over, waking up in a world where things were different. Where she was still alive, safe. Where Zayne was not Dawnbreaker, the man who took lives, but instead Akso Hospital’s brilliant surgeon, saving them.

His eyes fell to his hands—scarred, rough, and trembling slightly. "I don’t deserve this..." he whispered to himself, the weight of it sinking in.