Jake's POV
She walked away.
And I let her.
Again.
The moment stretched, thick and suffocating, long after Brielle was gone. I stood frozen, staring at the empty space where she had been, fists clenched so tight my knuckles ached.
I could still feel her.
The lingering heat of her presence. The ghost of her voice, sharp with frustration, rough with something too raw to name.
The bond burned between us, taut and unrelenting.
It pulled at me like a chain hooked through my ribs, like it was punishing me for every second I let pass without chasing after her.
I should have stopped her.
I could have stopped her.
A single word. A touch. One step forward instead of back, and she would’ve stayed.
But I had hesitated.
Like I always did.
And now?
She was gone.
And I had no one to blame
