Elena’s POV
The night air was colder than I expected. It clung to my skin, biting through the thin fabric of my clothes, sinking into my already exhausted bones.
I wrapped my arms around myself as I stepped out of the bar, the heavy door swinging shut behind me with a dull thud.
For a moment, I just stood there.
The city was still alive—distant headlights blurred through the streets, laughter echoed from a nearby alley, but it all felt... far away.
Too far.
All I could hear was the dull ringing in my ears, the throbbing of my aching feet, the heaviness in my limbs that begged me to just stop moving.
I exhaled, trying to ignore the way my hands trembled from exhaustion.
Tonight had been brutal.
Worse than the night before.
I had dropped a tray—twice.
Messed up a drink order.
Spi
