Then she reached for her phone.
Gideon’s name glowed on the screen.
She stared at it before typing. Deciding.
?
The gym was quiet except for the rhythmic sound of fists pounding leather.
Thud. Thud. One more—the bag shuddered.
Gideon didn’t stop.
Didn’t slow.
The bag swung violently with every strike, the chain creaking above him, sweat darkening the tape wrapped around his fists.
But it wasn’t enough.
All he could see was Arden, standing in front of her ruined car. Eyes wide. Silent. Scared.
And not because she was weak.
Because someone had dared to come for her.
And that meant she was in someone’s crosshairs now.
His next punch was meant to break bone, then another—faster.
The rage was there, simmering beneath his skin. Cold and focused. Controlled, but barely.
A destroyed rose.
Petals like blood.
Windows shattered like bones.
And Evelyn?
She’d been too quiet lately.
That wasn’t like her.
He pictured Colton, smirking from a corner. Watching. Reporting.
Whoever it was, family or not, they’d made a mistake.
His knuckles connected again. The bag slammed into the wall.
They thought they could scare her.
They thought they could shake him.
They didn’t know what they’d done.
His phone buzzed on the bench nearby. He grabbed it, eyes flicking to the screen.
Arden: I’m okay.
