Maya’s Point of View
The world seemed to shatter around me.
I stumbled back, my knees giving out as I fell to the ground. My breath came in shallow gasps, my vision blurring with disbelief. My mind screamed that this wasn’t real, that it couldn’t be.
‘He’s never kissed me’
The thought was like poison, seeping through my veins as a bitter memory surfaced.
It was months ago, in Kaiden’s chambers. I’d gone there under the pretense of spending the night with him. I’d thought that maybe, finally, we could be closer, that he might see me the way I’d always wanted him to.
I had leaned in, my heart racing, desperate for a kiss, a connection. But before our lips could meet, he pushed me away, his expression cold and unyielding.
“Don’t.” His voice was harsh, almost cruel. “I don’t want this,
