For two weeks, I cut Jasper off completely. I ignored his calls and texts and stayed holed up in my parents' house. He came by often, trying to talk, but I refused to see him.
He could burn for all I care, I would never see him!
Of course, Jasper had impeccable timing. The one night I finally felt like coming out of my mess, he showed up—right when my parents were out.
“Daphne, open up! I know you’re in there!” His voice boomed, fists banging on the door.
Reluctantly, I swung it open and yelled back, “What do you want?”
He barged in, not missing a beat. “Why haven’t you answered my calls? Or Briana’s?” His tone dripped with accusation. “She’s been trying to reach you! You know she has a weak heart, Daphne. Worrying her like this is bad for her health. You’re being completely unreasonable!”
“Unreasonable?” I scoffed. Was he for real?
“You abandoned me at our ceremony, and I’m the unreasonable one here?” I shouted, my voice trembling with fury, every word echoing in my ears.
“Yes!” he shot back without hesitation, his confidence only fueling my anger. "Briana feels awful about what happened. She’s been begging me to keep apologizing on her behalf. She’s 'genuinely' sorry, Daphne. And you’re making her worry sick over this.”
I couldn’t believe it. This guy always found the perfect words to make my blood boil.
How could he stand there and defend her after everything they put me through?
“You know what?” I stepped closer, my voice low and venomous. “I’m done.”
Jasper blinked, the confidence slipping from his face as confusion took its place. “What are you talking about?”
I met his eyes, my chest burning with the finality of my decision. “I’m rejecting you, Jasper.”
His expression morphed into shock, his voice rising with panic. “What?”
I smirked, relishing the disbelief etched across his face. “You heard me. I, Daphne Stone, reject—"
Before I could finish the rite, Jasper’s hand clamped over my mouth, his eyes blazing with fury. He looked ready to explode.
“What the hell were you thinking?” he snarled, his grip tightening. “You’d break our bond out of pettiness? Why are you always so childish?”
My ears rang, and something inside me snapped. I shoved him away with everything I had. “Childish?”
A red haze clouded my vision. Hatred—pure, unfiltered hatred—coursed through my veins. “I’m not the childish one, Jasper. It’s 'you' and your pretty little sweetheart!”