Chapter 143: The Last Straw
Josie
The night air bit at my skin as I stepped outside, the faint rustle of leaves doing nothing to cool the heat in my chest. My whole body was still trembling with leftover fury from the kitchen, from Thorne’s maddening arrogance, from the pasta now wasted across the floor. Kiel followed me out, his voice low and careful, like he was trying not to spook me.
"You didn’t have to do all that, Josie," he said softly. "I could’ve handled him."
I spun on him, frustration bubbling up so quickly it burned my throat. "You didn’t need to do all this, Kiel! Don’t you get it? All my effort—" I gestured wildly toward the house, as if the ruined pasta were still there to prove my point— "everything I tried to do, gone to waste because you two couldn’t stop fighting over me like dogs over a bone."
He lifted his hands, palms out, trying to calm me. "Josie—"
"No," I snapped, shaking my head. "Listen to me. I love you. I do. I love you a whole lot, but you need to understand something. I’m also in a relationship with your brother."
The words came out sharp, laced with pain. It wasn’t easy saying them, but it was the truth.
I swallowed hard, staring at Kiel’s face. His jaw clenched, his eyes darting away like he wanted to argue, but I pressed on before he could.
"He may be an idiot. He may hurt me more times than I can count. But if I don’t challenge him myself, if I don’t push back, nothing will change. He’ll keep thinking he can treat me however he wants. He’ll keep hurting me. And I’m not letting him get away with it."
My voice cracked, the anger twisting into something more fragile, but I refused to let it show.
Kiel’s lips parted, like he wanted to say something—maybe tell me I was wrong, maybe tell me to choose. But the sound of the landline ringing inside the house cut him off.
We exchanged a look.
Something about that ringing felt wrong. Off. Too perfectly timed.
We hurried back inside, and Kiel grabbed the receiver. I stood close enough to hear the voice on the other end.
"—Kiel?" Michelle’s voice, weak, trembling. "Please... I need you. I fell down the stairs. I—I’m bleeding..."
My stomach dropped.
Kiel stiffened, eyes flashing with alarm. "What? Where are you? Stay where you are, I’m coming."
Before I could get a word in, he hung up and bolted for the door.
"Kiel!" I called, horrified.
He didn’t even look back. Not once. He just disappeared into the night, his footsteps pounding against the porch.
My heart slammed against my ribs, the sound roaring in my ears. A sick, ugly suspicion twisted in my gut. Michelle. Of course it was Michelle.
"What if it’s a trap?" I whispered to myself, but the words felt too loud in the silence he left behind.
I grabbed the nearest set of motorcycle keys, my hands trembling. If it was a trap, if Kiel walked straight into danger without thinking—no, I wasn’t letting that happen. Not again.
The engine roared as I sped after him, the night air whipping against my face, carrying the scent of pine and something sharper: fear. My fear.
By the time I caught up, Kiel had already arrived at Michelle’s place. He was too focused, too consumed by the sight in front of him to notice me trailing close behind. His whole body was locked on her, on the doorway, on the faint flicker of light coming from inside.
"Kiel!" I shouted, trying to get his attention.
Nothing. He didn’t hear me. Or maybe he chose not to.
Grinding my teeth, I parked the bike and hurried after him, navigating the unfamiliar space. After a bit of stumbling and whispered curses, I found the door and pushed it open.
The scene froze me in place.
Michelle—pale, fragile-looking, but not nearly as broken as she’d claimed—was leaning into Kiel, her hand pressed against his chest, her lips dangerously close to his. She tilted her face up, her intentions clear, her body language screaming seduction rather than injury.
A low, furious growl tore from my throat before I even thought about it.
"Get off him!"
I stormed forward, grabbing Michelle by the shoulders and shoving her back. Hard. She staggered, eyes flashing with fake innocence before twisting into smug defiance.
"You don’t belong here," she hissed, her tone laced with venom.
"And you don’t belong anywhere near him."
Her smirk only fueled my rage. She lunged, nails flashing, and I met her halfway. We collided in a flurry of fists, snarls, and raw fury. She clawed at my arms, her strength surprising for someone who claimed she was bleeding, but I wasn’t holding back either. My fists found her cheek, her lip, leaving marks she’d remember every time she looked in a mirror.
"Josie!" Kiel’s voice cut through the chaos. He grabbed at us, trying to separate the tangle of limbs and snarls. "Stop it! Stop!"
But I wasn’t stopping. Not until I made sure she understood. Not until I left something behind that screamed don’t you ever try this again.
Finally, I shoved her away with enough force that she hit the wall, clutching her face, her eyes wide with shock and fury. My chest heaved, my knuckles throbbed, but I didn’t regret a damn thing.
Without a word to Kiel, without sparing Michelle another glance, I turned on my heel and stormed out.
The ride back felt longer, heavier. My thoughts churned like a storm—anger, betrayal, exhaustion all blurring together until I could hardly breathe.
When I finally stepped back inside the house, Varen was the first to spot me. He strode over immediately, his eyes sharp with concern.
"Josie. I was worried. I couldn’t find you anywhere, and I was about to call my brother—" He stopped short, his gaze catching on the state I was in. The scratches, the bruises, the blood smeared across my skin that wasn’t mine. "What the hell happened to you?"
I let out a bitter laugh, the sound hollow. "Ask your brother. He’ll tell you. Because this—" I gestured at myself, at the invisible weight crushing me— "this is the last time I’ll save him from his own foolishness."
Before he could reply, I ran up the stairs, needing distance, needing air, needing silence.
But I didn’t get silence.
Halfway up, the lights flickered. Then, suddenly, the entire house plunged into darkness.
My breath caught. My hand gripped the railing, my body tensing.
"Hello?" My voice wavered, echoing in the thick, unnatural quiet.
I tried to move, but then I saw it—a faint glow cutting through the dark. A figure. No, not just a figure. Someone glowing.
My heart lurched.
"Liam," I breathed, recognition slamming into me.
He stepped forward, his eyes gleaming with something hungry, something terrifying.
"What do you think you’re doing?" I demanded, forcing steel into my voice even as my knees trembled.
His lips curved into a smile that chilled me to the bone. "I want you. Now."
My stomach turned to ice. "What do you mean—"
Before I could finish, he raised his hand. Power surged from him like a wave, crashing over me before I could fight it.
Pain exploded in my head, and the world spun violently.
The last thing I saw was Liam’s glowing form before everything went black.