Chapter 16: Dream? Reality?
I wake up to a dull, throbbing ache in the back of my head, like the echo of a forgotten memory trying to claw its way back. My eyelids feel heavy, my mind sluggish, thick with confusion.
I blink against the dim light filtering into the room, the world slowly sharpening into focus.
Where the hell am I?
The ceiling above me is wooden, beams crisscrossing like the inside of a rustic cabin. The faint scent of pine and something earthy—like moss and old forests—hangs in the air, seeping into my skin.
I sit up abruptly, my heart pounding, panic roaring through me like a tidal wave.
This isn’t my apartment.
This isn’t my penthouse.
This isn’t anywhere I’ve ever been.
The sheets that fall away from my body are soft, but too unfamiliar. I look down and realize I’m wearing different clothes—loose, simple, nothing like the tailored suits I practically live in.
What the actual hell?
My breathing quickens, my chest tightening as adrenaline kicks in.
Where am I?