Jealousy Alpha's Regret novel Chapter 219

Chapter 219

Iris’s POV

I pushed open the bathroom door, a cloud of steam billowing out around me. The sudden change in temperature made me shiver slightly as I stepped into the cooler air of the hallway. My mind felt oddly blank, scrubbed clean like my skin, yet somehow heavy with thoughts I couldn’t quite grasp.

“Oh thank God,” Rachel’s voice startled me. She was standing right outside the door, her face tight with concern, phone clutched in her hand. “I was about to

break the door down.”

“What?” I blinked at her, confused by her intensity. “Why? Did something happen?”

Relief washed over her features as she sighed dramatically. “Two hours, Iris. You’ve been in there for two hours with no sound. I thought you’d passed out or

something!”

I glanced at the clock on the wall behind her and felt a jolt of surprise. It was already eight o’clock. How had I lost track of time so completely?

“I’m sorry,” I said, genuinely apologetic. “I didn’t realize… Next time, eat without me if I take too long.”

Rachel studied my face, her eyes softening with understanding. She didn’t press me about what I’d been doing in the bathroom for so long–probably because she already knew. I’d been standing under the hot water, trying and failing to wash away the image of Sebastien’s blood on my hands, the terrifying moment when the bullet meant for me had struck him instead.

The dining table felt enormous with just the two of us sitting at it. Neither of us spoke much; the events of the day had left us both drained. I picked at my food, taking mechanical bites without tasting anything. Occasionally I’d look up to find Rachel watching me with concern, but she too seemed lost in her

own exhaustion.

After helping me clean up the kitchen, Rachel prepared to leave. I walked her to the door, feeling grateful for her steady presence throughout this nightmare

of a day.

“Try to get some sleep,” she said, hugging me tightly. “I’ll be here first thing tomorrow to drive you to the hospital.

I nodded, too tired for arguments. As Rachel stepped into the hallway, something caught my attention. Jack Lowell’s apartment across the hall was completely dark. No lights, no sounds, no smells of cooking food. It struck me as odd–Jack was typically home by this hour, and his housekeeper usually prepared dinner that filled the hallway with delicious aromas.

The observation nagged at me, but I was too exhausted to dwell on it. I’d think about it tomorrow.

“Goodnight, I told Rachel, closing the door softly behind her.

Alone in my apartment, the silence felt oppressive. I moved to the bedroom and collapsed onto the mattress, not bothering to turn down the covers. My body ached with fatigue, but as soon as I closed my eyes, my mind refused to quiet.

Images flashed behind my eyelids–Sebastien pushing me aside, the hunter’s cold eyes, the sound of the gunshot. In my mind, I watched again as Sebastien crumpled to the floor, but this time, the nightmare twisted reality. In my dream, there was no ambulance, no hospital. Instead, I held him as the ile drained from his eyes, his blood soaking into my clothes, his last breath a whisper of my name.

I jerked awake, gasping. “Just a dream,” I whispered into the darkness, my heart hammering painfully. It’s just a dream. He’s fine. He’ll be fine.

I forced myself to take deep breaths, tried to calm my racing pulse. But sleep, when it came agam, brought no relief.

1:59 am P P P

Chapter 219

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