~ Jack’s POV

I couldn’t hold it in any longer. The rage that had been building inside me all day erupted as I charged at Elara, fists clenched, my vision clouded by anger. I wanted to shake her, to make her understand just how much she had pushed me. How far she had gone.

Elara didn’t flinch. She did the exact opposite. She laughed a cold, wicked sound that cut through the tension like a blade. It wasn’t the laugh of someone afraid or even remorseful. No, it was the laugh of someone who didn’t care.

“Go ahead, Jack,” she sneered, her voice dripping with venom. “Beat me. Do whatever...