MELISSA'S POV

Dinner ended much later than expected. The evening had been a whirlwind of compliments, congratulations, flashing cameras, and forced smiles. The Mexican Ice Hockey Federation had pulled out all the stops to honor us, and while I appreciated the gesture, I couldn't deny how exhausting it all was. Pretending to be Xavier's doting girlfriend under the eyes of people who scrutinized our every glance and every laugh took its toll.

Still, I smiled when necessary, laughed at the right ...