Chapter 23

• Astrid's heart pounded in her chest as she turned to look at the woman lying on the cot beside her. The woman who was supposed to be her mother. But something was off. Something didn't feel right.
• Her eyes widened in shock as she took in the features of the woman's face, the lines and contours that were so familiar yet somehow foreign. It was as if she were looking at a stranger wearing her mother's skin.
• "What's wrong, Astrid?" Kira's voice broke through the haze of Astrid's thoughts, her eyes clouded with concern.