CHAPTER 23

I paced for a few minutes more, letting the adrenaline pulse through me before I finally made a decision. My anger hadn't left me, but it was starting to drain into something else—a bitter determination. I couldn't run from this. If I was going to prove myself, I needed to face it head-on.

There was no point in fuming on the sidelines, that had to stop. If I wanted to prove myself, I had to take action now. No more delays, no more excuses. It was now or never.

With a heavy sigh, I turned toward home. The trees surrounding the training grounds whispered in the wind, the sun casting long, jagged shadows over the dirt path as I walked. Every step felt like I was trudging through the weight of my own frustration, but I forced myself forward. No matter how much my father had hurt me, no matter how deep the cuts from his words went, I had to find a way to make him see me.

There have to be a way.