Chapter 508

Jason’s POV

And then it hit me…what if I had fallen for Layla? What if all of this…the lies, the schemes, the alliances…what if it had changed me more than I realized?

My chest tightened, and I pressed a hand to it, as if I could physically stop the thoughts from taking over.

And then, piercing through the fog of my mind, I heard it.

A scream.

It was sharp, high-pitched, and it sliced through the quiet like a blade.

I froze, my entire body tensing. My heart stopped for a beat, then started pounding in my chest, a deafening rhythm that drowned out everything else.

“Layla.”

The word escaped my lips before I even realized I’d said it.

I turned toward the door, my eyes wide, my breath coming in shallow gasps. The scream had come from outside…of that I was certain. And I was equally certain it was her.

Her voice. Her fear.

Without thinking, I moved toward the door, my steps quick, almost frantic. My mind r