Ahsaas's POV :

I jolted upright with a strangled gasp, my heart hammering so violently it hurt. My entire body was slick with sweat, the sheets clinging to my damp skin like a second, suffocating layer. My hands trembled uncontrollably as I clutched my chest, struggling to breathe, as if the air had suddenly turned too heavy to inhale.

Cold shivers raked through me, one after another. My hair clung to my face, and I dragged my palm across my forehead, wiping away the sheen of sweat that refused to stop. My throat was dry, my voice barely a whisper as I stammered to no one but myself—

“Shh… it’s okay… it’s okay, Ahsaas… that was just a dream… just a nightmare… not real… not real…”

But even as I said it, my voice broke.

It didn’t sound like comfort—it sounded like desperation.