Zoe's POV
Some days felt lighter than others.
Some days the weight on my chest eased just enough for me to breathe.
But other days…
Other days felt like survival.
Like I was existing beneath the ruins of a life that had collapsed around me.
No matter how hard I tried to hold myself together, and no matter how many people told me everything would be alright, it still felt as though the entire world was crumbling around me.
Sleep never came.
It had become a stranger that night.
The room was quiet, wrapped in the soft darkness of the early hours, yet my mind refused to surrender. Every time I closed my eyes, another thought surfaced. Another fear. Another possibility.
I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling again.
The faint glow from the digital clock on the nightstand painted pale blue numbers across the room.
2:17 A.M.
I let out a slow breath.
Just a few more hours before dawn.
Zara had called. The organizers said they had reached a decision.
By morning...
