Chapter 122

• As I watched the fire flicker and fade, I tossed another log onto the flames. The crackling heat flared up instantly, casting a warm glow across the darkened industrial skyline. But as I stared into the fire, my mind wandered back to a painful memory the day I returned to Northwatch Estate, only to find it in ruins, the remnants of my past life shattered beyond recognition. The sting of that loss returned like a sharp ache in my chest, one that made it hard to breathe.
• I couldn’t deny it I wished for Vivian’s downfall. I wanted her to pay for everything she had taken. But even as that thought lingered, I knew that simply seeing Vivian disappear wouldn’t be enough. It would be too easy. I needed more. I needed to break her publicly, painfully just as she had once broken me.
• I imagined Liam might feel the same. He wouldn’t go for a quick win either. He understood the long game better than anyone.