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A dark chuckle escapes him as he steps back, giving me room to breathe but not to relax. “We're over when I say we're over.”His gaze drifts over me like a physical touch—one that leaves a trail of filth on my skin.
I'm trembling now, whether from rage or fear, I can't tell. Maybe it's both. The memories flood back—his manipulative words, his controlling hands, his cold indifference to everything but his own desires.
He moves closer again and I step back instinctively until my spine hits the cold surface of the kitchen counter. “You belong to me,” he whispers, each word laced with malice and entitlement.
A surge of defiance rises within me. “That's the problem with you. Ibelongto no one,” I assert, pushing past him with a strength fueled by years of suppressed anger.
But Brandon isn't deterred. He follows me like a shadow as I move through the living room—a predator stalking his prey. The soft carpet does nothing to cushion the weight of his ominous footsteps behind me.
“Think about Asher,” he says suddenly, and that stops me dead in my tracks.
How could I forget the light of my life? I'm hiding him at my folks' house, praying this will all end soon. Because Asher is everything pure and good in this world, everything Brandon is not.
“I will never let you hurt him,” I say through gritted teeth.
Brandon smiles—a cold twist of lips devoid of warmth. “Then you'll do what's necessary.”
And there it is—the unspoken ultimatum hanging between us like an executioner's axe poised to fall.
My pulse races. A small voice inside me whispers for Ethan's strength, his protection—but another part screams that this is not his battle to fight.
It's mine, and mine alone.
“I'll do what's necessary,” I repeat softly—not in submission but in promise. A promise to myself and to Asher that this will end... somehow.
“I hope you understand why I'm doing all this, honey. I’m protecting you from yourself, and soon you'll understand.” He sighs and adjusts his tie, after which he reaches out one of his fingers toward me and brushes my cheek. “Love makes us act crazy sometimes.”
I pull away from him and dry my tears. “What do you want, Brandon?”
“Nothing, at least, for now,” he states, turning around and heading toward the living room. “For now, you can keep fucking that good-for-nothing. But at some point... I'll come for you, and you'll do as I ask, or else you can say goodbye to Asher.”
“And what if I don't?” I inquire, crossing my arms.
He bursts out laughing. “Oh, honey, you don't want to do that.” He picks up the fork and Tupperware with the lasagna and eats slowly. “Don’t forget which one of us is friends with the judge handling the case. Make me angry, and I'll make sure these photos are part of the case. And believe me, I'll do it in such a way that no one in that court will hesitate to condemn you as a whore of a mother.”
He then lifts the bowl and smiles at me. “I'll take this on the road. Enjoy your date, honey. You look beautiful.”
Brandon winks before turning on his heel and leaving as abruptly as he came—leaving me alone with the deafening silence and the shreds of what was supposed to be an evening filled with hope instead of terror.
The door clicks shut behind him, but it doesn't feel like closure. It feels like the beginning of something else—something dangerous and inevitable.
And I slide down against the wall onto the floor, hugging my knees close and letting tears fall freely now that there's no one around to witness them.
The phone starts ringing on the counter. I scramble to answer, remembering that Ethan's waiting for me.
I answer after drying my tears. “Hello?”
“Everything okay?” asks Ethan on the other end of the line. “I could have sworn it's been more than five minutes.”
I smile reluctantly because I know he'll notice the tears on my face. “Yeah... Don't worry. I took a little longer than I should have. I couldn't find my earrings. I'll be right down.”
“Got it. Are you all right?”
“Perfect,” I lie. “I'm on my way.”
I cut the call, unable to stop the tears from falling. My world is collapsing around me, and all I want is to return to a sense of normalcy for myself and my son. But Brandon won't allow it. He won't let me and Asher go.
Something must change. And I know that whatever comes next... itwillchange everything.
