Avery’s POV

Jameson’s apartment was cozy and sheltering from the bitter chill of the night, but it offered little solace from the storm raging in my mind. I clutched the mug of chamomile tea, allowing the faint floral aromas to fill the air around me, but the knot in my stomach refused to loosen.

Jameson was sitting a few short feet away, his steady presence reassuring me. His questions earlier had been tender but electric: “be gentle on yourself, that's no longer a burden that you carry alone.” Someone was out for me, AND IT WASN'T random. That thought was like a splinter lodged deep in my mind, impossible to...