I’d always known Jared was sharp, but I hadn’t expected him to piece everything together so quickly. I glanced at Yvonne sitting beside me, pressed my lips together, and just ignored him.

Jared’s breathing suddenly grew rapid, and it was like he lost control of his emotions all at once. In the shadows, he grabbed my wrist, squeezing so hard it felt like my bones might snap. I glared at him, annoyed. There was raw pain in Jared’s eyes, as if I’d truly pushed him over the edge this time.

The car pulled up in front of the restaurant. As soon as the door opened, I shook off Jared’s grip, got out first, and carried Yvonne out of the car.

“He’s Nora’s dad…” Yvonne immediately recognized Edward.

Edward smiled and nodded. “Hey there, Yvonne.”

“Is Nora here today?” Yvonne seemed to really like the kind girl from last time.

Edward shook his head. “She’s not here. I invited you all to dinner.”

“Oh.” Yvonne seemed a bit let down.

Jared lingered in the car for a while before finally stepping out. As soon as he got out, he just stared straight at Edward, as if the idea of greeting him had completely slipped his mind.

Edward’s gaze flickered, but his smile stayed in place. “Mr. Holcomb, why don’t you head inside first?”

Suddenly, Jared turned to Yvonne. “Why don’t you go inside with Uncle Edward? I need to talk to your mom for a minute.”

Yvonne blinked at him. “Dad, if you’re gonna argue with Mom, can you save it for when we’re home, behind closed doors? Let’s just eat first.”

“Go inside!” Jared’s voice dropped, dark and commanding.

Yvonne stuck out her tongue, startled, and hurried inside. I turned to Edward. “Would you mind watching my daughter for a bit?”

Edward looked like he wanted to say something but hesitated. I held up a hand to stop him. He seemed to trust that I could handle things and turned to follow Yvonne inside.

Jared yanked me by the arm and dragged me outside. I was getting fed up with how rough he was being. I said coldly, “Jared, if you keep disrespecting me like this, we’re done.”

Jared stiffened, then released me. He looked at me with a suffocating intensity. “Victoria, are you trying to get yourself killed? Why do you keep getting involved with the Jennings family?”

When Jared confronted me, his eyes blazing red with emotion, it finally hit me what he was really trying to say. It wasn’t just jealousy—he was terrified I’d self-destruct all over again, that I wouldn’t survive this life.

“Even if I’m not supposed to get involved, I already have,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper as I turned away.

“I sent you to Shaville, and you ended up with Ryan. I brought you to the United Kingdom, and now you’re with Edward. Am I just destined to never escape the Jennings family?” Jared completely broke down, his eyes rimmed red, tears threatening to spill. “All I want is to rekindle what we had. Is that really too much? What’s the point of coming back again? Isn’t this supposed to be my chance to pay for my mistakes? To love you with everything I’ve got? Why… why bring me back just to give me zero chance?”

Like he’d lost his mind, Jared spun around and slammed his fist into the wall, wild with frustration. “Why did I even come back?”

I watched him completely lose control, and honestly, I was pretty scared. When I saw his fist dripping with blood, I grabbed his arms. “Jared, please, stop hurting yourself. I told you, whatever happened in our previous life is over. You don’t owe me anything. This time around, your life is yours—not for me.”

Jared looked at me, lost and devastated, and a couple of tears rolled down his pale, handsome face.