[Hazel]
Someone banged on my door with the urgency of a man whose life depended on it—like I was the only surgeon left on Earth and his clock was ticking. The force rattled through the wood and into my bones, sending a jolt through my chest so sharp it felt like my own heartbeat had jumped to match the rhythm of the knocks.
Still sniffling, I brushed the dampness from my cheeks with the back of my unsteady hand. My fingers felt cold, stiff—numb from too many tears and too little sleep. With a heavy sigh, I dragged myself out of bed, every step sluggish like I was wading through thick fog. I shuffled to the door and turned the knob with little care. And there he was—the source of the relentless pounding—my next-door neighbor, looking as if I'd just f****d his ex-girlfriend.
“Look, woman,
