TESSA
My head was pounding, every beat dull and heavy behind my eyes. I felt so tired I could barely lift my head, but then I heard his voice, soft, shaken, almost breaking.
“Tes…”
For a second, I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. But when I turned, he was really there. Jaxson.
A shaky breath escaped my lips as a tear slipped down my cheek. Relief flooded through me, warm and painful all at once. My lips trembled into a pout as another tear rolled down. He came. After hiding away from me all week, he was finally here.
But he didn’t look like the Jaxson I knew. His eyes were darker, colder, and heavy with something I couldn’t name. His face looked pale and drawn, like he hadn’t slept in days. There was a strain in his shoulders, a quiet rage trembling beneath his skin.
Before
