Chapter 3

Xhani's POV

After the sports session, we were all drenched in sweat, and all I wanted to do was go home and take a long shower. As Ziya and I walked toward the school parking lot, my phone buzzed. Glancing at the caller ID, I froze in my tracks. My heart sank, and a mix of anger, sadness, and dread washed over me. I hated the person on the other end of that call.

Ziya grasped my hand to steady me, as if sensing that my legs might give out. She knew exactly what this guy had done to me over the years. He had shattered my soul, more than once. Without hesitation, Ziya took my phone from my hand and declined the call. Then she opened my car door and helped me into the passenger seat. She despised him just as much as I did.

His name was Zain Armstrong—the monster who stole my innocence, broke my heart, and cheated on me.

Flashback 1 years back......

I met Zain one years ago during our annual national football competition day. Every school in the city had gathered at the stadium. I was helping Mrs. O with her boys' football team, so I stood on the sidelines, watching our boys play against the other schools.

We were in the lead, and I was busy cheering for David and the rest of the team when I felt someone staring at the back of my head. Slowly, I turned, and there he was—Zain. Back then, I never would have called him a monster. He had long, sweat-drenched hair, big, deep-brown eyes framed by lashes longer than mine, chocolate-brown skin, and a well-built physique. His lips were full, so tempting that anyone might wonder what they tasted like.

He stood there, smiling at me like a fool. At first, it was disconcerting, but there was something sweet in that smile—pure admiration without a trace of creepiness. I managed a small smile back and then quickly turned my attention to the game.

The next match was between our school and Saint High School, and I recognized him jogging onto the field with his teammates. He kept his eyes on me the entire time. Just before the whistle blew, he shot me a flirtatious smirk. My cheeks flamed, and my breath caught in my throat. I wasn't sure why he made me so nervous, but I couldn't ignore how intensely he watched me. By the end of the match, Saint High had beaten us, leaving Mrs. O fuming at our boys. We ended up taking second place, which was still respectable—but I was disappointed that we didn't win like we usually did.

Afterward, I gathered up our gear, lugging heavy bags of water bottles and towels toward our bus. My head was down, lost in thought, when Zain suddenly appeared in front of me, nearly scaring the life out of me. I might have squeaked in surprise.

I didn't realize it was possible to feel so nervous. Words failed me as I took in his sharp jawline, gleaming white teeth, and perfectly round eyes. He said something, but I was too startled to catch it. He finally waved a hand in front of my face to snap me out of my stupor.

"Hello, beautiful," he greeted me.

I stammered, "H-Hi…"

"My name is Zain, and I had to come over to tell you that you're absolutely gorgeous," he said in a low, husky voice.

"Um, thank you," I mumbled. "I'm Xhani."

"I'd really like to get to know you. Can we hang out sometime?" he asked.

"Um, I—" was all I managed before David stormed over and cut me off.

"She's not going anywhere," David growled, his tone dripping with anger.

David had always been fiercely protective of me. Everyone at school assumed we were secretly dating, but the truth was more complicated. Our relationship had zero physical intimacy, yet we both bristled with jealousy whenever anyone else showed too much interest. It was weird, but it was ours. I loved him for always shielding me from the unwanted stares around school.

David seized my hand and turned to leave, refusing to give Zain a chance to argue. And that was that.