Her stomach twisted. “So that’s it? Iwas just a financial asset to you after all?”
Titus’s expression didn’t flicker. “We’ve had this conversation before. Love doesn’t protect people in my world. Power does.”
Jazz jerked back like he’d struck her. The hurt flickered across her face, her hands trembling at her sides. Continuing to clutch her torn dress to herself, she rose and took a step back, then another, like she needed to put distance between them. “You really are the man everyone warned me about.”
“I am. So, walk away, Jazz. If you love me,walk away.”
Titus didn’t move, didn’t speak after that. He just watched her, every muscle locked, every instinct screaming at him to stop her. To take it back. But he couldn’t. If she stayed, if she saw even a flicker of hesitation, she would never leave. So he forced himself to remain still, to let her believe it, even as it ripped something vital out ofhim.
He let her walkaway.
Because it was the only way to keep hersafe.
Chapter 13
JAZZ BARELYfelt the cold tile beneath her knees as she huddled in the shower, the scalding water pounding down on her like it could wash away the last hour. She braced her hands against the tiled wall, her breath uneven, steam rising around her in thick waves.
The pain wasn’t just in her chest—it was in her bones, her soul, in the deep, aching hollow that had opened up inside her when Titus had let hergo.
Had made her go. She could hear his voice, low and unreadable, as he’d said the words that shattered her resolve:So, walk away, Jazz. If you love me, walk away.She hadn’t wanted to, but the finality in his tone, the cold edge ofsacrifice beneath it, had forced her hand. She had to leave.
She gritted her teeth, her fingers balling into fists as she pressed her forehead against the wall. The cool tile offered no relief, no anchor, just a surface to lean against while she tried to steady the storm insideher.
He didn’t let me go. Ileft.
She needed to remember that. Or had he orchestrated every move, knowing exactly how to push her to the edge until leaving felt like the only choice she had left? Had he played her emotions as skillfully as he played the game, making her believe it was her decision when all along, it had been by his design?
Was this his plan all along? Had he nudged her toward this outcome, making her believe it was her choice? The thought gnawed at her, twisting her insides. Every moment, every word—had it all been deliberate? And if so, why? What was he protecting? Himself? Her?Their child?
Her thoughts tangled in endless knots, each one pulling her deeper into uncertainty. Nothing made sense anymore.
She shuddered. Nothing felt like it belonged to her anymore. Not her thoughts, not her emotions, not even her body. She could practically feel his hands on her, his breath hot against her skin, his voice whispering in her ear, his command as binding as any vow.That piece of shit! How dare he touch you. I won’t allow anyone to put you at risk. Ever.
And yet, he had let her walkout.
She didn’t know how long she stayed under the water, trying to will herself back into something whole. Minutes blurred into eternity as the steam wrapped around her like a suffocating veil while she tried to drown out the storm raging in her chest. But no matter how much she scrubbed, how much she let the heat scald her skin, she couldn’t wash away the feeling of him—his hands, his voice, his presence all tangled inher senses.
Eventually, her fingers wrinkled, her knees ached from kneeling, and the water started to run cold. She had no choice. She had to move. She had to face what camenext.
By the time she stepped out of the shower, wrapping a towel around her trembling body, she had made a decision.
She needed space.
Just for a few days. Just so she could think. Until she could figure out how to navigate this tangled web of love, betrayal, and vulnerability. She wasn’t leaving forever. She couldn’t.
She wouldn’t.
Titus had broken something in her, but she wasn’t ready to let go of him. Notyet.
Maybe not ever.
Just as she belonged to him, he belonged to her. She could feel it in the way his hands had lingered that last time, how his grip had been both possessive and reverent, as if letting go had cost himsomething vital.
No matter what lines had been drawn between them, their connection was undeniable—deep, unshakable, and carved into her very bones. Just as no one would ever touch her. No one would ever touch him, not if she could help it. And that included the Feds, Vex, and anyone else who threatened herman.
Jazz yanked a duffel bag from the closet and started packing. Clothes. Essentials. Just enough to last a few days. She didn’t know where she was going, but home called to her—the home of her childhood, the house she and her sisters had grown up in. Lily was there now. It made sense.
And maybe, just maybe, she needed her sister to remind her of who she was before she had heard the name Titus Dante.
