Chapter 72:
Jack's eyes blinked open to the dim hue of morning light bleeding through the half-closed blinds.
The room around him was a quiet mess—clothes flung over a chair, an old punching bag swaying slightly from the last night's session, and his reflection staring back at him from the dusty mirror.
He studied himself.
His hair had grown wilder by the day—an untamed mane matching the chaos inside.
There was no neatness in his appearance, no intention to impress.
And yet, as his red eyes met his own gaze, a smile tugged at his lips.
Not the happy kind, but the knowing kind.
A smirk that said I'm still here.
He pushed himself up, dragging his towering frame from the mattress.
After brushing his teeth and stepping into a cold shower, he threw on a loose t-shirt and a pair of shorts. Simple.
Functional.