MELISSA’S POV
I had fallen asleep earlier, exhaustion dragging me under after hours of crying and pacing, but the stiffness in my neck woke me. The hospital’s fluorescent lights weren’t forgiving; they made everything look paler, colder—especially Xavier.
My eyes fluttered open, and for a moment, disorientation swept through me. Then it all came crashing back: the accident, the doctors, the awful words I’d thrown at him just yesterday. Shame sank into me like a stone in water.
I rubbed my eyes and forced myself to sit up. The nurse at the desk outside his ward was flipping through some charts, and something inside me pushed me to try. My voice was hoarse from crying, but I gathered what little courage I had left.
“Excuse me,” I whispered, my hands nervously clutching each other, “can I
