Chapter 18 – Vermont’s POV
The moment I stepped out into the corridor, the mask dropped.
I didn’t slow down, or even acknowledge the guards who straightened as I passed. My steps were heavy and purposeful. I needed walls.
Somewhere no one would hear me lose it.
By the time I reached the chamber, my hands were already shaking.
I shoved the door open harder than necessary and slammed it shut behind me, the sound cracking through the room before everything fell into a heavy, suffocating quiet. For a second, I just stood there, chest rising too fast, jaw locked so tight it ached.
Then something inside me snapped.
My fist drove into the stone wall with a dull, sickening thud. Pain shot up my arm, but it didn’t stop me. I hit it again. And again. Skin split, blood smeared across the surf
