Xavier’s POV
The unbearable screaming of my father ripped through the silence, yanking me out of a deep slumber. The sun had long risen, yet I couldn't bring myself to get off the cold floor where I had collapsed the night before. My head throbbed relentlessly, spinning with every attempt to sit up. I should’ve seen it coming—but at least I’d managed some decent sleep.
Staggering to the bathroom, I gripped my forehead with one hand and used the other to feel my way forward. Water. That was the only instant remedy I could think of. I splashed it over my face and doused my head, again and again, until the haze in my vision began to clear and a degree of ease washed over me.
Still groggy, I pressed my ear against the door, trying to make sense of the loud argument happening downstairs. Voi
