Maya’s POV The sunlight filtering into my room through the curtains felt intrusive. I stirred, blinking sleepily as I sat up and stretched, hoping to shake off the heaviness of slumber. But as my gaze swept over the familiar walls, disappointment settled over me. I was in my room, in my bed, alone. Again. Not that I had expected to wake up anywhere else, but a part of me had secretly hoped for something different. Something meaningful. Maybe I had hoped to catch Alexander finally. I had missed Alexander again. Every night, I tried. I would sit in the living room closest to the front door, reading and pretending to be lost in the music playing softly in the background. But eventually, the fatigue would win, and I would fall asleep. By the time I woke up, I would find myself back in

