Chapter 1
LIA
The first thing I felt after coming to my senses was pain.
A sharp, throbbing pain spread through my entire body, as if all my bones had been shattered and stitched back together. The next thing I noticed was a sound, a rhythmic beeping somewhere beside me.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
My eyelids felt unbearably heavy, I forced them open. Everything around me was blurry. I blinked several times, and slowly the room came into focus.
Pale yellow walls. Curtains drawn halfway down. Beeping machines beside me. Dim lights overhead. And a person sitting quietly on a chair next to the bed where I was lying.
And then I realized where I was.
A hospital.
The realization sent a wave of panic through my body.
I tried to sit up, but a voice came from beside me.
"Easy."
I turned my head and saw a young man sitting calmly. He was dressed in a white coat, and his face was filled with concern. He looked like he was in his twenties.
"You're safe," he said softly. "Please don't try to move."
Safe?
The word echoed in my mind.
"Who...?"
I tried to ask, but he stopped me midway and offered me a glass of water.
"Drink slowly," he said.
I didn't argue. I couldn't even remember the last time I'd had water.
After a few moments, he asked gently,
"Can you tell me your name?"
My name?
Do I have a name?
A voice echoed somewhere deep inside my mind.
LIA
Was that my name?
“I..I think it's lia,”I whispered.
"Oh. Well then, hello, Lia. I'm Ivan."
Ivan.
"You're in a hospital right now," he continued gently. "And you need rest. So please, don't ask too many questions for now. Lie down and try to recover. I'll answer your questions later."
Questions.
I had thousands of them.
How did I get here?
Why did my body hurt so much?
Before I could ask any of them, Ivan stood up from the chair.
As he turned to leave, his hand accidentally brushed against my arm.
I froze.
A wave of panic crashed over me.
I jerked backward instinctively, pressing myself against the headboard of the bed. My breathing became fast, and my hands began to shake.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Ivan stepped back immediately.
"I'm sorry," he said quietly.
I couldn't answer.
I didn't know why I was afraid.
I only knew that I was.
Without saying another word, he gave me one last concerned look and walked out of the room.
And I was left alone.
