•Ray's Room•
[Ray's POV]
I opened my eyes to the familiar ceiling of my room—the dark wooden beams, the pale stone between them, the soft gray light of late afternoon filtering through the curtains.
Something had pulled me from sleep. Voices drifted through the window. Laughter. The sound of feet against grass—quick, urgent, light.
I pushed back the blanket and swung my legs over the edge of the bed. My ribs protested with a dull ache that had become my constant companion over the past hours. The cracked bones shifted beneath my skin, sending a sharp pulse of pain through my side with every breath. I ignored it. Pain was an old friend. Pain, I could manage.
I walked to the terrace, my bare feet silent against the cool stone floor, and pushed open the glass doors.
