Jake's POV
Brielle words still lingered in the air, wrapping around me like a chain I couldn’t break.
"I understand you, Jake."
No one had ever said that before.
Not like that.
Not with such quiet conviction, as if she wasn’t just looking at me,but through me.
I should’ve turned away.
Should’ve forced the conversation back to something cold, something controlled,something I could manage.
But I didn’t.
I couldn’t.
Because she wasn’t looking at me with pity. She wasn’t looking at me like I was broken beyond repair.
She was looking at me like she understood.
And that?
That was terrifying.
Brielle didn’t move, didn’t press. She just waited, standing there, her gaze steady. Like she wasn’t afraid of the storm she’d just unleashed in me.
I swallowed hard, my throat tight.
She ha
