CHAPTER 51: I Missed You

I woke to a heaviness weighing down every part of me like my limbs were anchored to the bed. My skin felt too tight and burning hot, and my muscles throbbed with a dull ache that wouldn't let up. A groan escaped my lips as I blinked against the harsh light spilling through the room, trying to adjust to the brightness that stabbed at my eyes.

Through the haze, I saw him—Killian—moving across the room with quiet grace, his hair damp from the shower, a wet towel in hand. He hadn’t noticed I was awake yet. I tried to speak, but my throat was raw like sandpaper had scraped against it.

“Killian…” The word rasped out of me, barely audible. Even my own voice sounded foreign.

At the sound of his name, his head snapped in my direction, concern clouding his dark eyes. He was at my side in an instant, gently easing me back onto the pillows when I tried to sit up.

“You need to rest, darling,” he murmured, his voice low and soothing, like a warm blanket wrapping around me.

I nodded weakly, too ti