Eye for an Eye

Chapter 44: Breaking Promises

Caleb knelt on the floor, wiping the blood from his face, while Callum stood beside me, towering at his full height. Jace lingered off to the side, his gaze locked onto mine.

He knew I was about to snap.

And inside, I could see the battle raging within him—would he let me unleash my fury on Caleb, or would he step in before I did something I couldn't take back?

Footsteps echoed down the stairs, slow and deliberate, but I didn't care who it was. My focus was on the man responsible for my daughter's disappearance.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I pushed forward, my vision blurring with unshed tears. Caleb's eyes widened in shock as I grabbed him by the shirt and shoved him hard against the wall. My hands trembled with pure, unfiltered rage, but no one dared to intervene.

"I did everything in my power to protect my daughter," I seethed, my voice raw with fury. "I sent her away, even when it tore me apart. I kept her from her father because I thought it was safer that way. And you—" My voice cracked before rising into a scream. "Because of your fucking jealousy, because you couldn't handle your anger toward me, you went and screwed some random girl who just happened to work for my uncle and Noah!"

Caleb flinched, but I didn't stop.

"You put Mila in danger—for what? A good shag?" My grip tightened as the betrayal burned through me. "I should put a bullet through your thick skull. I hate you, Caleb! Mila is your niece—she's family! How could you—"

I barely registered my own movements before my fist connected with his face. Once. Twice.

Caleb grunted in pain, his head snapping back with each hit, but I didn't care. The fury was consuming me, an unstoppable force—until strong arms wrapped around me, yanking me backwards.

Callum.

"I've got you, Freckles," Callum murmured, his grip firm as he held my arms together, keeping me from shaking him off. My chest rose and fell in ragged breaths, the rage still burning through me, but his steady presence kept me grounded.

The room was eerily silent.

Everyone was here now, their gazes filled with a mixture of sorrow and fury—sorrow for me, fury for Caleb. He stood motionless, staring intently at the floor like it held all the answers he couldn't give.

"Get out," I said, my voice cold and unwavering.

Caleb spat blood onto the floor, his jaw clenching. "What?"

"I said, get out of this house. Now. I never want to see your face again."

"Hope—" Callum's voice was quiet, cautious.

I lifted a hand, cutting him off before he could say another word. "Don't you dare speak for him." My eyes snapped to Caleb. "If this were anyone else, they'd already be dead. The only reason you're still breathing is because you're West's brother."

I took slow, deliberate steps toward him, my pulse steady despite the storm raging inside me.

Still, he refused to look at me.

That wouldn't do.

I reached out and grabbed his chin, forcing his battered face upward. His skin was already purpling from the blows he'd taken—his left eye swollen, a deep cut above his brow leaking blood down his cheek.

Good.

"If I ever see you again, I will kill you." My voice was low, lethal. "Now get the fuck out of my sight."

I moved to the side next to Jace who put his hand on my back. West was breathing heavily against the wall.

Caleb stormed out without a backward glance, slamming the door behind him. The moment he was gone, my phone rang, the sharp sound cutting through the tense silence. I glanced down at the screen—a number I didn't recognize.