Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 171 - Chapitre 180

Jaxen POVI went straight to the wine cellar when I got home.The second I sat down, the weight in my chest got worse.Like I was hanging in midair, couldn’t climb back up, couldn’t drop all the way down. Just stuck.I’d gone to see Scarlett that evening.She shut down the apology cold.Money didn’t move her.When I asked what the hell she actually wanted, she asked me to get as far away from her as possible.The way she looked at me… like she wished I’d just vanish off the face of the earth.She’s built walls so high I can’t even get close without her flinching.One step too near and she’s done.My wolf started whimpering in the back of my skull, low, broken, pacing in tight circles.I poured three fingers of the strongest whiskey I had and knocked them back.The burn hit hard, but it didn’t touch the hollow feeling

Scarlett POV“I’ve got it.” I already had the app open.Jimmy appeared at my shoulder like he’d been waiting for the opening.“I can drive you.”Every muscle in my body locked.The cedar and smoke of his scent pressed too close.I took one deliberate step back.“No need. My friend’s already on the way.”Susan didn’t miss a beat. She hooked her arm through Jimmy’s and steered him toward the exit, her voice low but carrying.“Leave her alone. She’s been through enough. And if Regina finds out you’re still pushing after she already shut you down, you’ll have bigger problems than a few rejected flowers.”I waited until their voices faded, then texted Delaney my location and the code for the private elevator.She pulled up in her car ten minutes later.The second I slid into the passenger seat,

Christina POVWatching my son struggle was exhausting in a way I hadn’t expected at this stage of life.If he couldn’t drop the habits that made Scarlett walk away, the road back was going to be long and ugly.I had raised him to be decisive, to solve problems by moving through them, yet here he was, living in my guest room like a man who’d forgotten how doors worked.The generation gap was real—I knew that.People his age spoke a different emotional language and carried different expectations about apology and repair.What I could not understand was how a man as sharp as Jaxen could stand on one side of a simple truth and act as if Scarlett lived in an entirely parallel world.Talk to her. Show up in small, consistent ways.Stop treating her name like a line item on a contract.The advice wasn’t complicated.I had said versions of it more times than I could count.Still, he looked at me as if I were describing a country he’d never visited.I am worried. Of course, I worried.A mother

Scarlett POVHe yanked the door open, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me across the seat into his car.We were already moving when the first explosion of heat lit the rearview mirror.I found my voice. “Were you following me?”“This is my route home.” His voice was steady, but his knuckles were white on the wheel.“Your car might still be okay. We’ll check from a safe distance.”Watching the flames, I experienced a sudden opening in my chest, filled with fear, residual adrenaline, and the disquieting awareness that the man I had just refused had pulled me from a burning building.“My bag’s still in the car.”“We’ll go back when the fire department clears it.”He was already on the phone with 911.When he finished the call, he looked at me.The silence stretched.“Besides not wanting a relationship,&rdquo

Scarlett POVChristmas night, I basically just lived on that mattress.One long blur of half-sleep, and suddenly it was New Year’s Day.Not a natural wake-up.My phone started blasting.I stretched hard, spine popping, and squinted at the screen.Gary Hirsch.I hesitated.I’d already sent the money back last night.What did he want now?The ringing died.Two seconds later it started up again. Still him.Jesus Christ. Does this person ever stop?First day of the year, and he’s already determined to be a pain in my ass.I answered, voice flat and irritated. “Are you bored or just looking for new ways to piss me off?”“I’m downstairs. Can you come down for a minute?”He sounded almost sheepish.Of course he was.Somehow these men always found my door regardless of where I moved.“It&rs