Scarlett’s POV
He started to turn away again.
“Jasper,” I said, this time, louder.
He stopped in the doorway, his hand still on the knob. He looked back, uncertain, caught somewhere between leaving and hoping I’d ask him to stay.
I stood there in the middle of the room, lit only by the soft spill of moonlight, and I could feel the weight of everything we’d been through pressing down on me. My voice didn’t shake. Not this time.
“This is the last time,” I said.
He frowned slightly. “What?”
“This is the last time I’ll forgive you for shutting me out,” I continued, taking a single, steady step forward. “The last time you let your silence speak for you. The last time you pull me close just to push me away when it’s inconvenient. Do you understand me?”
He blinked, his throat working arou
