Zoe's POV
Sleep never came.
Not really.
The room was quiet, wrapped in the soft darkness of the early hours, yet my mind refused to surrender. Every time I closed my eyes, another thought surfaced. Another fear. Another possibility.
I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling again.
The faint glow from the digital clock on the nightstand painted pale blue numbers across the room.
2:17 A.M.
I let out a slow breath.
Just a few hours ago, Zara had called.
The organizers had reached a decision.
By morning...
Everything would change.
Garrett had tried to reassure me. Chloe had done even better.
"We'll face it together," she'd said as she squeezed my hand.
"If they strip the title away, then they strip it away. We'll survive."
Garrett had nodded in agreement.
"We'll prepare for the worst."
I had nodded too.
Pretended I believed them.
Pretended I was stronger than I actually was.
