CHAPTER 325

ARIA’S POV

Morning comes, but it feels like another dream, a surreal continuation of the night’s restless, fearful thoughts. The sun is already a bit high in the sky, its warmth filtering through the leaves overhead and casting dappled patterns on the ground.

I lie there, half-asleep, caught between the remnants of my troubled dreams and the harsh reality of my situation. The sound of the waves, once terrifying, now feels almost soothing, a constant rhythm that lulls me into a false sense of security.

Then, I feel something—a touch, warm and firm, wrapping around my hand. My first instinct is to think it’s part of the dream, that my mind is conjuring up a comfort I desperately crave. But the touch is persistent, real. I jolt awake, my body reacting before my mind catches up. I sit up quickly, my heart pounding, eyes struggling to focus in the bright morning light.

Everything is a blur. The world around me swims with indistinct shapes and colors, the brightness of the sun making it dif