Ximena's POV
The soft click of the door closing echoed through the hallway, leaving behind a silence so thick it felt like drowning. I remained frozen in place, my eyes fixed on the empty doorway where Ezekiel had stood moments before. My heartbeat thundered in my ears, refusing to slow down even though he was already gone.
He had actually come here. To my house. Looking exhausted and desperate, claiming he needed to make things right between us. For one brief, dangerous moment, I had almost let myself hope.
Almost.
But then reality crashed back in. The rational part of my brain, the part that had been humiliated and torn apart in front of everyone, whispered its warning. Trusting Ezekiel Enzo was like playing with fire. He possessed this uncanny ability to make you feel like the center of his universe when he focused those intense eyes on you. And that was precisely why I couldn't afford to fall for it again.
