MELISSA’S POV

The sharp pain pounding at my temples woke me before the sun had fully risen into the sky. It was one of those headaches that made it hard to even open my eyes, like a dull hammer knocking against the inside of my skull. I lay there for a while, staring at the ceiling, the fan circling slowly above me, and it all came crashing back—the night before, Xavier’s voice, his face, his words that sliced me deeper than any knife ever could.

“Maybe dating you was a ...