Chapter 132
~ Octavia ~
The nightmare still clung to me like damp fog on a cold morning, its edges sharp and unrelenting even as daylight filtered through the hospital blinds. Franklin had held me through the night, his arms a steady anchor until the first pale streaks of dawn crept across the room. Neither he nor my mother knew the details of what had haunted my sleep—the shadowy figures, the crushing sense of betrayal, the fall that felt too real—and I wasn't ready to speak of it yet. When I finally felt strong enough to share, Franklin had already been called away to work. He kissed my forehead softly, promising to return later that day, and I told my mother I would wait until he was back so we could hear it together. The weight of the dream pressed on me, but so did the quiet hope that each passing hour was pulling me closer to wholeness.
