Page 87 of Cruel Betrayal

I’m doing this for you, my love. I have to do this for you.

Everything I’ve done and all I’ll do going forward is going to be for her, and one way or another, she’s going to see it.

I might have let her leave, but this isn’t over between the two of us.

It’s never going to be over, even if I have to kidnap her and whisk her far away again.

My love is never escaping me.

Chapter Twenty-Six

JADE

I don’t knowwhat I’m doing in the gym. I told Ezra we were done just over a week ago, but here I am, standing there like an idiot, watching the way he spars with some guy while Tyson watches on.

I shouldn’t be here right now.

If Noah walks in and sees me here, he might kill me.

I should just move on with my life and let Ezra go on this death mission.

How the hell do I keep breathing if he dies?

A million different thoughts rush through my mind, crashing into each other like spinning tops and then going their separate directions.

I don’t know which thought to focus on, especially as the man across from Ezra throws a hard jab into his gut, knocking the air out of him.

Ezra bends for just a second, and the man is on him, throwing punches left and right, catching Ezra hard with a knee to the face hard.

I wince, stomach twisting and turning.

I should tell him that I’m here, at least get him to take a break and stop fighting for a couple of minutes, but I’m not sure what good it’s going to do.

Fucking idiot Ezra is going to get himself killed, and he just expects me to stand to the side and let it happen.

Ezra moves like a machine, like all he knows how to do is kill, to beat his opponents no matter what the costs.

This is who Noah trained him to be.

I know the life all too well, but at least I don’t go running into danger like it’s the only thing I know how to do. I’m not about to get myself killed for someone who doesn’t give two shits about me.

He doesn’t see me, and that’s probably a good thing. He’s not the only one who can watch the other person in this relationship. Not that it’s a relationship. Not anymore. We splintered and then we broke, just like I was sure we would.

I lean against the wall, arms crossed over my chest.

Tyson leaves the side of the ring, coming over to me.

I should turn and run. I don’t want to be caught here.

But then why did my dumb ass come here?

Tyson stands in front of me, blocking me more in case Ezra is going to turn and potentially catch sight of me. “I don’t know what you’re doing here, but you should leave.”

“Is he still going through with the fight?”

Tyson crosses his arms, showing off the deep bruises that cover them. “Yeah. He thinks this is the only way, and you could try to tell him not to, but he’s not going to listen to you.”

I peek around Tyson as the man fighting Ezra goes to the ground. “I know. What do you think he’s going to do? You’ve known him longer than I have. You’ve got to have some idea about how far all of this will go.”