The next morning came without asking for anyone's permission.
It arrived quietly, slipping into the penthouse through half-drawn curtains, pale sunlight stretching across the floor like an uninvited witness. There was no gentleness to it, no consideration for what the night had left behind.
Raya slept through it.
She didn't know how long she had been asleep when the pain struck, sharp, sudden, merciless.
Her eyes flew open as a throbbing ache split through her skull, settling deep behind her eyes like a hammer striking over and over again. She sucked in a breath and pushed herself upright, both hands flying to her head.
"Oh God…" she whispered.
The room tilted slightly. Her stomach churned. Her throat felt dry, as if she had swallowed sand.
