Ezekiel's POV
Saturday mornings used to mean sleeping until noon, celebrating last night's victory, maybe meeting up with teammates later for some pickup games.
This Saturday was different.
I woke with my jaw throbbing, my skull pounding like someone was using it as a drum, and my gut twisted in painful knots. Sleep had been impossible.
Each time I tried to close my eyes, Ximena's expression from the night before haunted me. The surprise when my lips touched hers, the way her eyes searched mine like she might be seeing something in me she'd never noticed before.
Then Kane had to destroy everything with his cruel words.
His voice kept echoing in my mind, cutting and vicious:
Did you really think anyone actually wanted her?
I should have silenced him immediately, but chaos erupted before I could react. Ximena fled the scene, Glenda ran after her, and Anton looked ready to commit murder with his bare hands.
Staying out of his way for a day seemed like the reasonable choice.
