Can’t Win Me Back

Jasper felt a pain unlike any he had ever known.

It wasn't a physical agony like having flesh torn away, but a slow, excruciating torture akin to being slowly sliced by a blunt blade.

It was a hundred times worse than dying instantly.

His mind raced through a chaotic sequence of images, like a black- and-white movie playing backward.

He saw people retreating and leaving —Javier, Anne, Newton, Landon, Lauren, Jonah, Axel...

He reached out desperately, trying to grasp any of them, but they were slipping away, one by one.

Finally, the image settled on Alyssa's radiant face.

"Lyse...

Don't go..." Tears streaming down his face, he lunged forward, wrapping his arms around her.

But she dissolved into golden dust, vanishing into the frigid air.

"No! iy A beep sounded in his ear as if everything had been reset.

and he fell

there was just

staring at the fallen

dead, but

footsteps

Remy

face, Remy picked Alyssa

arrived on the island." Without even a glance at Jameson, Remy's voice dripped with barely

you to clean

you have no objections, right,

stood motionless,

he looked like a man who had been thoroughly used and

had been drained of all his worth—now thrown

statue of the goddess closed

scoffed, laughing at himself

Schmidt, your life has been a

finish, the deafening roar of a helicopter overhead drowned out his

casting its shadow over

with that, the seemingly

cutting Jameson's neck, cheeks,