Page 173 of Graves

By trying to take Aran from me, Luke has undone the curse he’s kept me under for so long. And with that first punch, I shatter the last remains of the cage he kept me in.

“But, Blue…”

“Don’t you fucking dare!” I follow with a left hook and feel myself breaking free of the cocoon. The fuel isn’t just Luke himself—it’s the pain that never should have existed. What he did to Aran hurts so fucking much that all I see is red.

My fist lands hard against his cheekbone, sending a sharp pain shooting through my hand. I turn away, gripping my wrist and clenching my teeth.

Levi and Damian stare at me in surprise. Damian stays stone-faced as always, while a wide grin spreads across Levi’s face.

“Give it to him, Aniki!” he cheers, pumping his fist.

“Fuck!” I growl, shaking out my hand. I’d forgotten how much it hurts—and how good it feels.

“You’re so pathetic, Koh,” Luke spits behind me. “Whatever you do here, I win.”

I slowly turn back to him. “You win?” My eyelids twitch with pure hatred as an uncontrollable rage surges inside me.

Blood streams from Luke’s nose and his left eye is already swelling, but a smile still stretches across his lips. “I win because you lose. You lose everything!”

I step closer. “Was that your plan from the beginning?”

Luke spits blood at my feet in response, and it clicks.

“Because you enjoyed controlling me.” I let out a disbelieving breath. “Aran was right. You never planned to turn me in.”

“What would that have gotten me? The fun was watching you suffer.”

“Why? Why are you like this?”

Luke shrugs. “I just am. What’s the big deal?”

I stare at him, frozen.

Flashes hit me—how we met, how attentive and loving he seemed at first. All lies. The longer it went on, the more monstrous he became.

The manipulation. The suppression. The humiliation during sex. One memory after another flood me until I’m caught in the middle of the storm.

I gasp for air—I hadn’t even realized I’d stopped breathing.

“You monster.”

“Are you sure about that?” Luke asks, dead serious, managing to plant doubt in me again. “Ha! Don’t you see it, Koh? All I ever wanted was to take everything from you. Everything! And now I’ve taken what mattered most. Aran Graves! Who would’ve thought you’d actually fall for that piece of shit? But thanks for the perfect setup! I’m getting off on your grief right now.”

Bile rises in my throat. Before I can throw up, I swing again and smash my fist into his face. My hatred keeps growing. The thought that Aran could have died…

Wait…

Luke doesn’t know…

A feeling of superiority takes hold of me, and I seize him by the collar. Embrace the darkness within you—that’s what they say. And that’s exactly what I’m doing, even if it doesn’t feel entirely voluntary. The world around me turns black, and only a single spotlight stays trained on Luke.

With every punch I land, I return to the person I was before my life took that sharp turn.

I’m not just beating Luke—the man who manipulated and controlled me for too long. I’m also hitting Jerry, who got off far too easily. And every blow is aimed at myself too.

With every punch I throw at Luke, it feels like I’m beating the weakness out of myself. Punishing myself for the paralyzing helplessness I allowed, for the shame of accepting my true self, and for denying that I’ve been drawn to the dark side all along. I shatter the chains and unlock the cage. I set the monster inside me free and accept what I am.

Who would have thought that feelings for a fallen rockstar would lead me back to this path? Or that doing this would feel more liberating than an hour with Dr. Mason.