Chapter 59

Chapter 59

[Cordelia]

I wake up gasping for breath, my heart racing like someone had dunked me into a pool of ice water. I am wet from head to toe in sweat, my skin flushed and pink. I try to take a deep breath but find myself unable to stop hyperventilating. My eyes struggle to find their focus as my heart beats so rapidly and with such intensity, I can feel it pounding against my ribcage.

“Try to breathe in through your nose, and out through your mouth,” Angelica coaches me from beside my bed. “You aren’t dying, but you just woke up from a medically induced coma. It is normal to feel like someone hit you with a semi-truck.”

“What did you do to me?” I try to say but it comes out in a garbled mess, my mouth betraying me as my tongue flops uselessly against my teeth.

“Patience,” she holds out her hands in a calming manner, trying to soothe me as she goes about unbuckling my arms and legs. “It’s just the effects of the adrenaline. Give your body a few minutes to find its equilib