Nina swallowed hard.
Was he really ready to go that far just to make sure she never even thought about moving on?
This wasn’t jealousy.It was possession—sick, dangerous, and destructive.
CHAPTER 35
Nina slipped into the house, pulled the door shut behind her, and leaned back against it. Only then did she realize how badly her whole body was trembling.
The house felt dark and too quiet. It seemed like the walls were absorbing the leftover fear and shock she’d just experienced. She still hadn't taken off her coat when she walked toward the living room, flicking on every light switch along the way. She needed to wash her face—this night had been too much.
She hadn’t even gotten her coat off when the sharp buzz of the intercom sliced through the silence and made her jump.
“Damn it,” she breathed, moving to the panel.
The screen lit up.
Jasper stood at the door. The porch light distorted his features, making them look even sharper. He was staring straight into the camera, and the cold dread returned.
“What?” Nina asked, pressing the button.
“You left your purse in my car,” he said, his voice way too calm—as if he hadn’t just been kicked on the ground minutes ago, as if she hadn’t been sprawled on the asphalt beside him.
Nina blinked. The purse. Right. Her damn purse.
“Are you coming out to get it, or are you letting me in?” Jasper asked.
Nina glanced at the front door.
“I’ll come out.”
She stepped outside.
Jasper was a couple of feet away. Under the streetlamp, Nina saw the purple bruise spreading across his cheekbone. His face was slightly swollen, dried blood crusted at his lip. And still—he looked impossibly calm.
She lifted her chin, and before she could stop herself, the words flew out.
“Good thing you’re a doctor.A mask will cover that mess. If you worked in an office, you’d scare the hell out of everyone tomorrow.”
Jasper smirked, tilting his head.
“Is it really that bad?”
Nina shrugged and forced a thin smile. A strange bitterness rose in her throat.
He held out her purse. Nina took it, and for a second her fingers brushed his hand.
“Thanks,” she said quietly.
Jasper nodded, and in that moment Nina found herself thinking how nice it would be to have a man nearby who simply… protected. Someone strong. Steady. Someone who took care of things. Not like Frank. Someone more like Jasper—confident, calm, always in control. The kind of shelter she desperately needed.
Except Jasper didn’t fit either.
He wasn’t better than Frank. Maybe he was worse. Frank had sliced into her soul. And Jasper… Jasper had ripped her apart.
Nina looked away, turned toward the door, ready to go back inside. But then, without understanding why, the words slipped out:
“Do you want to come in anyway?”
