'More Complicated'

"What a fucking day."

Florian all but collapsed onto the bed—only to instantly regret it.

The moment his body hit the mattress, a sharp, searing pain shot through his ribs, knocking the breath out of him. He sucked in a hiss through clenched teeth, his body tensing against the ache that spread through his limbs like wildfire.

"Fuck. That hurt."

His fingers curled into the sheets as he forced himself to breathe through it, waiting for the worst of the pain to subside. Slowly, carefully, he turned onto his back, wincing at the dull throbbing that lingered in his muscles.

But despite it all, despite the exhaustion weighing down on him like a lead blanket—

'At least I'm still alive.'

The thought settled deep in his chest, cold and bitter but oddly grounding. Because no matter how much everything hurt, no matter how overwhelming today had been—

'It's better than dying.'