Crises in Love (Zora and Jaylan) novel Chapter 426

His grip was iron-strong around my throat, the pressure making a sickening crunching noise. I struggled to breathe, my vision blurring with flashes of light. Instinctively, my hands clawed at his, desperate to pry them away.

"You think you can disrespect me? You brought this upon yourself, you're..." His rant was cut short as a shadow moved with lightning speed. Before I could comprehend what happened, Jaylan was sent flying, and I ended up sprawling onto the couch.

A thunderous crash echoed through the room, followed by a dull thud. A large decorative vase that stood nearby had toppled, shattering into pieces across the hardwood floor.

Gulping in fresh air, I was seized by a violent coughing fit, gasping for breath. The terror of suffocation had been overwhelming, and now, with tears and mucus streaming down my face, I didn't bother to clean them, focused only on stabilizing my ragged breathing as waves of seething anger rushed at me.

Hannah quickly examined my neck, babbling apologies. "I'm so sorry, miss! It's my fault, I should have looked after you better!"

We had an unspoken understanding, Hannah and I. I knew her concern was genuine, but her words were part of an act.

Furious, I glared at Jaylan, who was trying to get up. I shoved Hannah aside and charged at him, kicking him with all the primal force I could muster - a release for my pent-up rage.

Though my kick was amateurish, it was effective. Jaylan, caught off guard, stumbled back to the ground. I wasn't done yet. "You think you can lay hands on me, Jaylan? You've got another thing coming..."

I never thought he'd dare to hurt me so openly, and rage clouded my judgment.

I didn't give him a chance to react. I pounced on top of him, my mind filled with images of Hertha beating Marissa. I mimicked the moves, slapping him fiercely, "That's for touching me!"

"Aaliyah, I’m gonna kill you..." he growled, trying to sit up and fight back.

Hannah stepped forward quickly, kicking him in the head. "If you so much as twitch, I'll break your hands. Whichever one you move, that's the one I'll disable. Try me!"

Her words worked like magic; he didn't dare move after that.