Sleep that night was a cruel thing, an elusive thing.
Each time I closed my eyes, my mind relived the conversation with Gabriel — the desperation in his voice, the regret in his eyes, the way he had said I lost you already.
I tried to shut it all out in bed, tossing and turning. But my body remained static, my emotions wound tightly like a coil.
Damn him.
I had spent years practicing living without him. And now? He thought he could just come waltzing back into my life and screw everything up all over again?
No.
I wouldn’t let him.
When morning finally arrived, I almost had not slept. But fatigue had never phased me — I had fought battles half-dead on my feet. I could get through one more day of this.
I threw on my training gear and secured my hair in a tight ponytail before walking
