Chapter 108
~ Navine ~
Jackson patted me on the shoulder and stood up, slightly unsteady on his feet. The gesture felt heavy, weighted with finality, like he was physically handing me the burden of everything he’d just confessed. He grabbed the bottle of whiskey again, ignoring the fact that he’d already had more than enough, and poured himself one last shot. His hand shook just slightly as he lifted the glass, but he still downed it in a single gulp, jaw tightening as the alcohol burned its way down.
He set the empty glass on the counter with a dull, careless thunk.
"I don't even know how I'm going to sleep tonight with that woman in my bed," he said.
His voice was thick with alcohol, yes—but there was something else beneath it. Exhaustion. Defeat. A deep, bone-weary resignation that
