Jack"s hate-filled, pained accusations echoed in my mind like a curse— "It was you Joneses who destroyed my family!" "He and his family have the blood of innocents like us on their hands!" "Sooner or later, he"ll discard you, or use you until there"s nothing left!" Each word was like an icy, poisoned needle piercing the softest, most vulnerable parts of my heart. I knew Luke had denied it. He said Jack killed himself. But… such a gruesome death, such a final act of self-destruction… was it truly just despair? Or… had he been pushed to the absolute brink? I couldn"t help but think of my mother. Her cruel abuse, the cold incantations, the cutting words, the madness of trying to control my every move… that was also suffering inflicted on someone weaker. Though the form was different, was the
