Stolen Hope

Elara POV

The rhythmic, heavy throb of my burned hand pulses in time with my heartbeat, radiating a sickening heat all the way up my arm. I sit on the edge of the lumpy mattress in the dim solitude of my small bedroom, carefully cradling the heavily bandaged limb flush against my chest. The shadows of the evening stretch long across the cramped space, offering a quiet, isolated refuge that I desp