Chapter 226. Reflects on the Future: pt. 1

Caleb’s POV

I didn’t expect it to hit him that hard.

One minute, I was speaking — no, more like spitting fire — trying to drive a point home, my frustration boiling beneath the surface, and the next, I watched as Jade’s entire face shifted. His mouth parted slightly, like he wanted to say something back, like he had something—anything—to defend himself with, but nothing came out. His eyes, usually filled with that defiant glimmer, suddenly dulled, and then, just like that, he dropped his gaze. It was subtle, barely perceptible to anyone else, but I saw it.

The crumbling. The way his jaw tightened as he clenched his teeth, trying to swallow whatever emotions I’d just stirred up inside him. His fingers twitched at his sides, like he wanted to clench them into fists but knew he shouldn’t. Then he shook his head slowly, turning away from me as if the conversation — no, I — wasn’t even worth the breath anymore. And just like that, the anger that had given me so m