Jack’s POV
The early morning frost clung to the edges of the Carter Ranch, turning the barren fields into a silver-dusted landscape. The sun hadn’t fully risen yet, but I had been awake for hours, my mind running through everything that was about to happen today. Sleep had eluded me—not because of nerves exactly, though there was plenty to be nervous about—but because every time I closed my eyes, I saw their faces: Ellie’s wide, trusting gaze; Rose’s quiet strength tinged with worry; Miranda’s smug smile as she played the victim in front of millions.
It felt like the world was closing in, tightening its grip until it was hard to breathe. But here, at the ranch, surrounded by nothing but open land and silence, there was a semblance of peace—a fragile, fleeting kind of calm. It wouldn’t la
