Eve
For the first time, I wondered why I always did this, but I knew it was because no one had protected me. I refused to become the monster they painted me as. I refused to become like those who hurt me and left me to rot. I wanted to be loyal to those who showed me kindness, to those who made me feel human in a world that sought to strip me of everything. Loyalty wasn't a weakness. It was my strength because it was all I had left.
"Jules is important to me," I said firmly, meeting his piercing gaze. "And I will not apologize for protecting her."
Hades exhaled slowly, his eyes narrowing as if he were scrutinizing every word, every flicker of emotion across my face.
"Important to you," he repeated, his voice a low rumble. "And where does that leave you, Red? Broken? Vulnerable? Dead?"
A lump formed in my throat as he hit the mark with an accuracy that stole the breath from my lungs.
