Chapter 14
Tessa stared at Julian in astonishment, her eyes going wide as tears filled them. “You… You’re yelling at me over something this trivial? Julian, you-
“This isn’t trivial!” Julian cut in coldly. “You throw a fit over everything! One meal’s off, and you whine for a new place! One dress isn’t your style, and you throw it out! You cry the instant life doesn’t bend to you! When are you going to grow up?”
Her shock curdled into wounded fury, and the words flew out before she could catch them. “I throw a fit over everything? You didn’t think so when you were all over me! Now that you’ve got me, I just get on your nerves! Is that it? Or are you still thinking about that bitch Avery? After those photos-”
“Shut up!” The name hit him like a live wire. He shot to his feet, his face darkening.
They argued in the middle of the restaurant, voices rising until heads turned.
Julian stormed out and let the door slam, leaving Tessa at the table, crying so hard she could barely breathe.
Across the ocean in Lambain, Jace was coming apart.
He dragged himself through each day like a beast with no way out, eyes shadowed from nights
without rest.
He no longer dressed up to “bump into” Avery. Instead, he lingered outside her apartment building or near her campus in wrinkled clothes, looking unshaven. His eyes burned with obsession and desperate longing.
He knew that he looked pathetic, but he couldn’t stop himself.
One evening, Jace found himself trailing Avery again at a distance.
Avery walked beside a tall, good-looking man with an easy smile. They had just come out of a lecture and were still chatting about class.
The man looked at Avery with clear admiration.
Avery kept her expression cool, nodding now and then and answering politely. Still, she was warmer to him than she had been to Jace in months.
The sight made Jace’s eyes burn red on the spot.
Jealousy surged through him like venom, wiping out what little reason he had left. He didn’t stop to think. His body was already moving.
“Get away from her!” His voice came out low and ragged as his fist crashed into the man’s
face
The man stumbled back, blood bursting from his nose. “What the hell?” he snapped, squaring up and ready to swing.
But Jace was like a wild beast gone mad, fighting as if he didn’t care about his own life. He’d been trained in combat since childhood. Now, blinded by jealousy, every move came down
harder and sharper.
Within moments, the man was on the ground.
“Jace, are you insane? Stop!” Avery lunged in, furious and shaken, trying to pull him off.
But Jace didn’t hear her. His fists kept pounding down.
Campus security sprinted over and tore them apart.
The guards held Jace back, his chest heaving as he gasped for breath. His eyes were bloodshot, fixed on the battered man on the ground, and burning with a fury sharp enough to kill.
The man got to his feet with help from his friends. He wiped the blood off his face and glared at Jace. Then, he took in Jace’s wild stare and let his friends steer him away.
Students had gathered in a wide circle, whispering and pointing at Jace. But Jace didn’t seem to notice. His eyes were fixed only on Avery.
Avery had gone pale. The look she gave him was something he’d never seen before-fear, disgust, and sheer contempt, as if she were staring at someone beyond saving.
Chapter 18
