Chapter 64 Smoke And Shards

• Serena
• The rhythmic thud of her fists against the punching bag was the only sound that filled the gym. Serena’s skin glistened with sweat, her breath short and sharp, exhaled through clenched teeth. Each punch landed with brutal precision, the leather squeaking under the pressure of her rage.
• She wasn't working out for fitness. She was exorcising ghosts. Ghosts of decisions made in dimly lit rooms, of trust misplaced, and of the blood she could never scrub off her hands—whether metaphorical or not.