JACKSON’S POV

I sat down in Hannah’s kitchen and accepted the glass of iced tea she handed me. The chill hit my throat as I took a long sip, needing something to cool the unease crawling beneath my skin. I'd come straight here from Nathan’s office, no detours, no distractions. Just answers.

“I know you’re worried about her,” I began, meeting Hannah’s eyes across the table. “And I’m not asking you to trust me blindly, but I need you to understand, hurting her isn’t something I would ever do on purpose.”

Her lips pressed into a thin line, and her hands curled around her mug as if bracing herself.

“That...