Ximena's POV
By Tuesday morning, exhaustion had become my closest companion.
Sleep had abandoned me completely. Every time I closed my eyes, Kane's venom-laced words carved fresh wounds into my memory. Anton's suspicious glare burned through my thoughts like acid. And beneath it all, Ezekiel's presence lingered like smoke I couldn't clear from my lungs.
That kiss. That damned kiss that had branded itself into my consciousness, refusing to fade no matter how desperately I wanted to forget.
When my alarm finally screamed at six, I surrendered to the inevitable. My skull throbbed with fatigue, my limbs felt weighted down with lead, and the prospect of another school day made my stomach churn. But cowering in my room would only invite Anton's unwelcome interrogation.
I forced myself upright and stumbled through my morning routine, meeting Glenda at our usual spot.
