Venom and Mercy

ROWAN’S POV

“Don’t compare me to Daphne.”

“Why not?” Something cruel flashes across his face — the defense mechanism I know too well, the one where hurt converts to venom because venom is easier. “You’ve been running to Mateo all trip. Confiding in him. Crying on his shoulder. Letting him touch you and hold you and fill your head with every reason to leave me. How is that different from what she d