Chapter 303

Chapter 303:

And now I’m breaking. My dark past clings to me like a shadow I can’t escape. Just the thought of it sends me spiraling into panic attacks—each one worse than the last. The only person who ever managed to pull me out of that darkness was Isabelle.

She had this way of grounding me, of reminding me who I was beyond the weight of my mistakes. But Isabelle isn’t here now, and I don’t know how to face this alone. The memories are relentless, suffocating. And with Jasmine’s pain on top of it all, I feel like I’m drowning in a storm with no end in sight.

Not now. Not here. Isabelle can’t be my fucking undoing.

I force myself to stand, turning on autopilot. My legs feel unsteady, like the ground’s about to give way beneath me. I need out. I need air. I stumble down the corridor, each step heavier than the last. The walls seem to close in, suffocating me. My vision blurs, dark spots creeping in at the edges.

Breathe, Ryder. Just fucking breathe.

But the more I try, the more it feels like I’m drowning. My pulse roars in my ears, and the cold sweat dripping down my back does nothing to stop the shaking. I need to find Kade. I need someone to anchor me before I lose myself completely.

I turn a corner, everything inside me unraveling—and then I crash straight into her: Jasmine.

Her scent hits me first, that intoxicating mix of vanilla and wildflowers. Her warmth seeps into me instantly, grounding me, pulling me back from the edge. Her hands come up to steady me, and the moment her fingers curl around my arms, my knees give out.

I sink to the floor, my body betraying me, my pride crumbling. Fuck. Not in front of her. Not like this.

“Ryder?” Her voice is soft, but there’s an edge of worry threading through it. “Hey, look at me p>

I can’t. The weight of my secrets, the darkness coiled inside me, feels like it’s crushing me. I squeeze my eyes shut, my breathing ragged.

gⲁ𝗅𝗇𝗈ν𝖊𝗅𝘀.𝖼0𝗺, 𝓂𝒶𝓇𝒸𝒽 𝒽𝒾𝒹𝑒𝓃 𝗈𝗇

Her fingers trail up to my face, cupping my jaw, forcing me to meet her gaze. And when I finally open my eyes, all I see is her—steady, fierce, and fucking beautiful.

Ryder’s pov

Her eyes. Those fucking gorgeous eyes. They’re the only thing keeping me awake while everything else around me spirals into chaos. The cold walls, the pounding in my chest, the creeping darkness trying to drag me under—it all fades into static.

But her eyes? They’re razor-sharp, filled with worry, stubborn determination, and something else I can’t name. Something that’s keeping me from losing my shit entirely.

My breath stutters out, shallow and broken. The panic is coiled tight around my lungs, squeezing harder with every damn second. I can feel it rising, that goddamn black hole threatening to swallow me whole like it always does. My vision’s already fraying at the edges, like I’m about to fall into that familiar, suffocating darkness.

But not this time?

Why the hell am I not fading? The attacks are merciless—they never let me off easy. They love dragging me down, trapping me in my own head for hours. But now… now, with Jasmine’s eyes locked on mine, something’s different. That cycle? It’s stalled. I’m still here. Barely.

I’m drenched in sweat, shaking so hard I feel like I might come apart at the seams, but I’m not gone. Not yet. And the only reason I haven’t completely crumbled is her.

“Ryder, listen to me,” Jasmine says, her voice low and steady. There’s this calmness to her, this quiet authority that cuts through the chaos in my head. Her hands cup my face, her thumbs brushing over my cheeks. “Breathe with me. In and out, nice and slow. You’ve got this. I’ve got you p>