Why would I listen to you? You're a liar and a cheat!" Pepper Fenwick growled, slamming the book she had been holding onto the coffee table with a resounding thud. The sharp noise echoed through the small apartment, and her mouth twisted into an angry scowl.

"Jesus, Pepper, you're going to break something!" Joshua North stammered, raking his long fingers through his dusty blonde hair, his frustration barely concealed beneath his calm facade. His amber eyes, usually so charming, looked troubled now. "Your bad temper is what got us here."

"My bad temper?" she spat, her voice rising with each word. "No, Joshua. You screwing your teaching assistant is what got us here." She glared at him, her eyes burning with betrayal.

Joshua shifted uneasily, running his hands through his hair again. "You're right," he admitted, his voice softening. "But you have to admit, things haven't been very exciting for us in a long time."

Pepper's blood boiled. "Exciting?" She took a step closer to him, her fists clenched. "You think helping you research and edit your bullshit book while working my ass off to get my teaching license—all while working at the library to pay the bills—isn't exciting? I could have finished two years ago if I hadn't stopped for you, you selfish bastard."

Joshua saw the storm brewing in her eyes and sensed that she was about to grab something to throw. He quickly closed the gap between them, taking her hands in his own, trying to diffuse the tension before it exploded. His voice dropped into the soft, manipulative tone that used to work on her.

"Pepper, come on. You're an adult. You have to realize that sometimes relationships just run their course. The right thing to do is to just let go."

Pepper's anger faltered for a brief moment as she stared into his amber eyes. Those green flecks that used to mesmerize her now felt like shards of glass. How had she ever fallen for his lies?

"This is all just a game to you, isn't it?" she said, her voice trembling, not with sadness, but with rage. "Every few years, pick a new girl, groom her, use her like a toy, and then toss her aside when you're bored. You're disgusting. I should've listened when your wife warned me about you."

Joshua's calm mask began to slip, a flash of irritation breaking through. "This isn't about Jessica. This is about you and me," he said, his voice tight, his usual charm now coated with anger.

"The hell it isn't! It's about Jessica, it's about me, and now it's about your shiny new toy—Sherry. God only knows how many others there have been or will be. You're garbage, and I am glad it's over," Pepper snarled, grabbing her two suitcases from the floor, and heading toward the door.

"Goodbye and good luck with your life, Pepper," Joshua hissed behind her, his voice dripping with venom.

Pepper paused at the door, her hand hovering over the handle. Part of her wanted to turn around to shoot one last insult at Joshua. She wanted to make him feel a fraction of the pain and disappointment he had caused her. But the larger part of her was exhausted from their constant battling and just wanted to walk away. She had nothing left to give. Her whole body trembled with the effort of holding back tears, but she wasn't going to let him see her cry—not now, not ever.

Come on, Pepper, you are stronger than this. Don't give him any more of your power. The thought almost seemed to come from outside her mind. With a shaky breath, she pulled her shoulders back, steeled herself, and walked through the door, slamming it behind her as if to say, this is final.

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

As she stormed down the hallway, Joshua's voice echoed after her. "Really mature!" he yelled, though the words sounded distant and childish now. Mrs. Mueller from the next apartment cracked her door open and smiled at Pepper.

"That's my girl," Mrs. Mueller said with a nod. "You're better off without him. He's a jerk."

Pepper managed a weak smile, fighting the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. "Thanks, Mrs. Mueller," she whispered before hurrying out of the building. The chilly wind hit her flushed cheeks like ice as she stepped onto the sidewalk, and she pulled her coat tighter around herself.

She looked up at the dark, brooding clouds swirling overhead. The sky seemed as angry as she was.

"What the hell am I going to do now?" she muttered, her voice barely audible over the gusts of wind. Her gaze shifted to the two cars parked at the curb—both hers and Joshua's. His sleek, white BMW sat next to her fire-engine red Nissan, gleaming despite the stormy weather. She held the keys to both cars in her hand, and for a brief moment, she considered taking his car. It would serve him right.

Just as she weighed her options, Joshua's voice broke the silence, yelling from the fifth-floor window. "When will I have the final edits, Pepper?" His words were laced with the arrogance that had infuriated her for so long.

"Aah!" Pepper screamed, the frustration boiling over, and her voice raw with frustration. As the almost primal scream left her mouth, a bolt of lightning split the sky, the air quivering with an ear-shattering crack. Lightning hit Joshua's pristine white BMW, and for a brief moment, time seemed to stop. The car lit up, glowing in an eerie white light before bursting into flames.

The smell of burning rubber filled the air, mixing with a metallic scent left by the lightning. A low rumble echoed down the street as smoke billowed from the wreckage, and the heat of the flames was so intense that Pepper could feel it warming her face. People on the street stopped dead in their tracks, staring at the spectacle in wide-eyed shock.

Pepper's eyes widened in disbelief as the flames danced across the wreckage. The sky above her roared with thunder and then suddenly cleared. A strange mix of shock and exhilaration raced through her body, and for a moment, she felt… different; her heart was beating furiously. It wasn't only from shock; she was feeling a strange rush of power pulsing through her veins.

She looked down at her hands, half expecting to see sparks there. "Oh my God," she whispered, her breath catching in her throat. Was it just a coincidence? Or had something inside her responded to her anger?

That's ridiculous. You're starting to sound like Mom. She shook off the thought that she could have had a connection to what happened, but deep down, she knew that this wasn't normal.

Within seconds, Joshua had raced down to the street, his face contorted in panic as he alternated between clutching his head and pacing in circles around his burning car. "Jesus Christ, my car!" he screamed, his voice breaking with hysteria. "What the hell?!"

Pepper bit her lip, struggling to suppress a laugh. The irony was too delicious. "I'll send for the rest of my things," she called out sweetly, her voice dripping with mock concern. "Goodbye, and good luck with your life, Josh." She threw him a saccharine smile before picking up her suitcases and getting into her car.

As she drove away, the adrenaline started to wear off, and the tears she had been holding back finally broke free. They streamed down her face as she pulled onto the highway, the lights of the city fading behind her. "Home it is, then," she muttered to herself, wiping at her cheeks with the back of her hand. "After two years, they ought to be really stoked to see me."

She slammed her fist against the steering wheel, her sobs coming in gasping breaths. "Damn it, Josh! You were supposed to be my ticket out of that circus," she said, her voice cracking with the weight of her frustration. She had worked so hard to build a life away from Bozwick, only for it to fall apart in a blaze of fire—literally.

She pressed harder on the gas pedal, speeding down the empty stretch of highway. "Here goes nothing," she muttered, her foot almost instinctively pushing the car far above the speed limit as if racing toward an uncertain future.

Storm clouds gathered overhead and seemed to reflect her turmoil. Flashes of lightning lit up the sky, illuminating the road ahead in eerie bursts. For a brief moment, Pepper wondered if this storm—this chaos—was her doing.

No, she told herself, shaking off the thought. It was just a coincidence. It had to be.

But deep down, a part of her knew better. Something had changed. Something inside her was waking up.