AVERY’S POV:
When I asked Axel for s*x last night, I knew exactly how he shut me down—made me feel like a desperate, needy girl unworthy of his touch. Yet, desperate as I was, I craved him. The next morning, with the first rays of the sun warming my face and an aching reminder between my legs, I rolled over with a triumphant smile. I had decided then: today, I was going to get what I wanted.
I reached out, expecting the warmth of the body I had grown used to. Instead, my fingers met nothing but cool sheets. My eyes snapped open. Axel was gone.
I told myself he’d just stepped out—maybe to the bathroom, maybe for air.
I laid back down, pretending nothing was amiss. But as minutes stretched into an hour and he still hadn’t returned, a cold, unfamiliar dread settled in my gut. Had he woke
