The Merchant's Warning

Jadis's POV

I made it to my room before the mask cracked.

Not tears, I was done with tears. But my hands were shaking as I closed the door, my breath coming faster than it should. The image was burned into my mind: Lyra pressed between them, Zane’s hands on her skin, the way she'd looked at him with such complete trust and desire.

Everything I wanted. Right there. Wasted on someone who had so much already.

I paced my small room, my mind racing. Seeing them like that, so lost in each other, so obvious about their connection, had crystallized something inside me. This wasn't just jealousy anymore. This was necessity.

I couldn't keep living like this. Watching from the shadows while she lived in the light. Being invisible while she was adored. Pretending to be happy while I slowly died inside.

Something had to change.

I forced myself to sit on my bed, to breathe slowly, to think clearly. Jealous people who acted on emotion made mistakes. I needed to be smarter than that. Needed to plan,