Jake's POV
I exhaled sharply, gripping the edge of my desk.
I had done what needed to be done.
I had pushed her away before she could dig herself any deeper into my mind.
Before I fell any further.
It was the only logical choice.
So why did it feel like I had ripped something out of my own chest?
Her voice echoed in my head, sharp and raw.
"“So that’s what this is?"
I had seen the frustration in her eyes, the way her hands clenched at her sides.
She had been angry. Hurt.
And I had stood there, stone-cold and unflinching, watching as she walked away. I wanted to stop her.
But I couldn’t stop.
Wouldn’t stop.
Because the moment I did?
I would have told her the truth.
That I didn’t want her to be guilty.
That I didn’t want to believe she was manipulating me.
That I wanted to
