Cassian's patience finally snapped.
The moment the words left Kael's mouth, Cassian swung.
His fist connected with Kael's face with brutal force, the impact sharp and unforgiving. Kael staggered back, crashing hard against the table before losing his balance completely and falling onto it.
"Cassian!!!" Mira screamed.
She rushed forward without thinking, dropping to Kael's side. Her hands trembled as she cupped his face, gently wiping the blood from his split lip with her thumb.
"You okay?" she asked urgently, her voice thick with worry and panic.
That.. that was what shattered Cassian.
Not the insult, not the challenge, not even the fight itself.
It was her.
Her kneeling beside another man. Her hands on him. Her voice soft with concern… for someone who wasn't Cassian.
His chest constricted violently, as if something inside him fractured beyond repair. His eyes burned red, fury mixing with something far worse, something dangerously close to tears he refused to let fall.
