The silence inside the barrier hung thick with disbelief.
Even now, moments after confirming each other's identities, Amelia found herself trembling. Her hands refused to unclench, and her breath wouldn't steady.
She was alive, but it felt like her soul had been yanked back from the edge of a dream—or a nightmare.
It didn't feel real.
She had tried to suppress this hope.
Day after day, year after year, in this cursed dungeon, she'd fought to forget how long it had been.
She'd trained herself to ignore the ache in her chest, to pretend the silence of her terminal wasn't maddening. She fought like someone who'd already died yet couldn't find peace as she clung onto her heart's regrets.
But what was this? Her long-time confidante and friend was here and was spewing words she'd only dreamed of.
And she wasn't even dead yet?!
