Home coming

Marian's POV

I never thought I'd see this day—not like this. Just weeks ago, I had braced myself for the inevitable, for the slow, painful decline that would take me away from everything and everyone I loved. Yet here I was, standing in the doorway of my home, breathing in the familiar scent of lavender and freshly brewed coffee, my body miraculously whole. The weight of my illness, the unbearable fatigue, the constant ache in my bones—it was all gone.

I was alive.

Aiden stood behind me, his hands resting protectively on my shoulders as if afraid I might collapse at any moment. His touch was warm, grounding, but I didn't need support anymore. My strength had returned, surging through my limbs with an energy I hadn't felt in months. The weakness that once kept me bedridden, the exhaustion that had stolen so much of my life, was nothing more than a memory now.