Jack’s POV
The whiskey burned as it slid down my throat, but the sting barely registered. I stood at the window of my penthouse, staring out at the glowing city below. Everything felt wrong. Samantha’s press conference, her lie about Louis, the way she dodged my questions—it was all unraveling. I didn’t know what to believe anymore.
I wanted to trust her, to believe that she’d done it to protect us, but the lie sat heavy between us. Every time I looked at her, I saw the flicker of guilt in her eyes, the hesitation in her voice. It didn’t feel like us anymore.
And then there was Clara. Louis’s sudden release reeked of her influence. She’d been too quiet lately, but I knew better than to think she was standing idly by. The chaos at Samantha’s press conference was too well-timed to be a co
