Chapter 5

CRYSTAL BURGESS POV:

Connor knelt before me, his eyes cast down, his movements slow and deliberate. He picked up a soft cloth, carefully dabbing at the blood on my knees. His touch was light, almost tender, the same tenderness he' d used to clean my scrapes when I was a clumsy child, before I became his partner.

"Crystal," he said, his voice still that familiar, soothing balm. "I'm with Andrea now. Truly with her." His words were a polite, final stab. "You should find someone else. There are many other excellent men who would adore you."

He even managed a small, sad smile. "You always used to say you'd leave us for a better partner if we ever annoyed you. You'd joke about finding someone who catered to your every whim."

My mind screamed. It was just talk! Empty threats! The words caught in my throat, choked by fresh tears. Why are you taking it seriously now?

I looked at him through my watery vision, shaking my head, desperate to deny the truth he was laying bare.

His gaze lingered on my tear-stained face, a shadow of something unreadable in his eyes. Then, slowly, he reached out, his thumb gently wiping a tear from my cheek. He even ruffled my hair, a gesture so familiar, so intimate, it felt like a cruel joke.

He stood up, turning to fill a glass of water, his back to me. "I'll get some antiseptic for your knee," he said, his voice distant.

Suddenly, something heavy hit my back. I cried out, startled. I spun around, my eyes widening. Standing there was Andrea' s son, his small face contorted in a furious scowl. In his hands, he clutched a steaming kettle.

"You' re a bad lady!" he screamed, his voice high-pitched and angry. "Leave my mommy' s house! Go away!"

He raised the kettle again, aiming it at me. I instinctively threw my arm up to shield my face. Boiling water splashed from the spout, a few drops flying back, landing on his arm.

A piercing shriek tore through the air. Andrea' s son dropped the kettle, clutching his arm, his wails echoing through the house.

Just then, the front door burst open, letting in a blast of icy air.

A hand, strong and cold, clamped around my throat. My breath hitched, my vision blurring.

Jorden' s face was inches from mine, his eyes glowing with an eerie, predatory green. His teeth were bared, a low growl rumbling in his chest. "You... you dared to hurt him?" he hissed, his voice dangerously low. "You really are a monster, aren' t you?"

He laughed then, a bitter, humorless sound. "You never change, do you? Always the selfish brat, hurting everyone around you."

Jorden. My passionate Jorden. He was the one who had once promised to write songs about my eyes, who would stay up all night just to watch me sleep. He had left me for Andrea, telling me she was brave, strong, a woman who didn't 'need' him in the same suffocating way I did. He' d even taken on dangerous, long-term assignments to prove his loyalty to her, or so I' d heard. When he left, his eyes had been filled with cold disdain, and he' d told me he regretted every moment he' d wasted pampering me. He said I was a weakness, a distraction he could no longer afford.

I remembered his words. My weakness.

I couldn' t breathe. My hands clawed at his wrist, my strength rapidly draining. Tears streamed down my face, blurring everything into a kaleidoscope of pain. I looked into his eyes one last time, searching for any glimmer of the man I' d loved. There was nothing. Just empty, gray desolation.