CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE: TEARS ON MY PILLOW

Crystals Perspective -

In the brittle silence of realization, a truth gutted my soul—Adrian had manipulated me, wielded me like some inconsequential piece in a treacherous chess game. I was just leverage, a means to reclaim his kin from Yadiel's vengeful grasp. And Yadiel? He, too, had his pawns, bending Adrian's will with the chains of family ties.

I peered up at Adrian through a sheen of tears. He reached out tenderly, thumb skating across my skin in a misguided attempt to soothe. But the warmth of his touch was a betrayal, fueling a firestorm of abhorrence within my chest. I slapped his hand away, the sting of skin against skin echoing my brewing tempest of fury. I couldn't bear the weight of his gaze. I couldn't drown in the depths of his eyes, not when they mirrored my wretched disillusionment.

Choked by an oppressive air, I surged to my feet, fleeing from that scene of emotional wreckage, away from the man who had cracked my world open. I sought sanc