Ximena's POV
The moment Ezekiel spoke my name, my heart plummeted straight through the floor.
Every instinct screamed at me to run, to drag Glenda with me and lock myself away until he disappeared. But my body betrayed me, rooted to the spot like some part of me craved whatever poison he was about to deliver.
Glenda's expression turned lethal, her arms folding across her chest like battle armor. "Absolutely not. You don't get to waltz in here after the shit you pulled last night."
Ezekiel didn't spare her a glance. Those devastating blue eyes stayed fixed on me, burning with an intensity that made my knees weak. "Ximena," he repeated, his voice dropping to something almost vulnerable. "Please. I need to talk to you."
The rawness in his tone terrified me more than his usual cruelty ever could.
Glenda stepped between us like a human wall. "She doesn't owe you anything. Not one damn second."
