Chapter 379
[ 494 words ]
Chapter 379:
She turned to leave, her mind set on a single, clear objective: find Corbett.
A hand like an iron clamp shot out and seized her arm. Jarrod. He spun her around to face him.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he demanded, his grip bruising. “You’re not going anywhere until you talk to me.”
The physical restraint, the public display of control in front of her father, was the final straw. The dam of her composure, already cracked and strained, shattered completely.
“Let go of me!” she shrieked, struggling against his grip, her voice high and shrill with a grief and rage that had been building for weeks. “Who the hell do you think you are? Where were you when I was dealing with all of this alone? You disappear for weeks, and then you just show up and start giving orders like you’re some kind of king?”
Tears of pure, unadulterated fury streamed down her face. She was no longer just crying; she was sobbing, her body shaking with the force of her emotions.
Jarrod stared at her, his face a mask of shock. Her raw, explosive pain seemed to stun him into silence. He held onto her arm, but his grip loosened, his expression lost and uncertain.
On the bed, Donovan watched them, his face etched with a fresh layer of pain. He didn’t want to be a burden, another source of conflict. With a soft, weary sigh, he lay down and turned his back to them, pulling the thin blanket up to his shoulder. It was an act of retreat, a silent plea for them to stop.
The sight of her father’s retreating form sent a wave of shame through Caroline. She stopped struggling, but her body remained tense, vibrating with anger.
𝘋𝗈𝗐ո𝘭oаdа𝖻𝗹e 𝗣𝖣F𝘀 о𝗇 g𝘢𝗹𝗻o𝘷е𝘭s.со𝗆
She lowered her voice to a venomous whisper. “This is my family’s business. It has nothing to do with you.”
The words hit him like a physical slap. He actually recoiled, his face hardening, the shock replaced by a deep, profound hurt.
“Your family’s business?” he repeated, a bitter, self-mocking smile touching his lips. “I’m your husband, Caroline. That makes your father my father. And you stand there and tell me it has nothing to do with me?”
The air between them was thick with unspoken accusations and wounded pride. They stood there, locked in a stalemate of pain, the chasm that had always existed between their two worlds now wider and deeper than ever before.
Jarrod stared at her, the hurt in his eyes so raw it was like an open wound. He saw the tear tracks on her face, the defiant tremor in her chin, the sheer, overwhelming exhaustion that radiated from her. The anger in his own face slowly dissolved, replaced by a wave of weary resignation. He had pushed her too far.
He let go of her arm. The sudden release of pressure made her stumble slightly.
“We need to talk,” he said, his voice rough with an emotion she couldn’t name. “Not here. Not now.”
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