I thought I could protect us. I really believed I had everything under control, but now it's all falling apart. How on earth did everyone find out about the information? That guy—that cybersecurity guy—he ruined everything for us. He was supposed to stay out of it, but instead, he's made a mess of things. I was handling everything on my own, keeping things in check. It was bad enough that he informed me, but there was absolutely no reason for him to involve my boss.
And now, here we are, sitting on a ticking bomb. Every second that passes feels like it could be the last before everything explodes. I thought I could shield us from this, keep the chaos at bay, but instead, everything is spiraling out of control. That guy didn't just complicate things—he wrecked them. Now, we're at the mercy of something bigger than us, and I don't know how to fix it.
I was doing what I had to do, keeping us safe. But now... I'm not so sure. Maybe it's already too late.
I don't even know what scares me more—fear for myself or for Brandon? The confusion swirls inside me, and I can't tell where one fear ends and the other begins. I feel like I'm standing on the edge of something dangerous, and I don't know which way to turn.
As I watched him pace back and forth across the room, the tension in him was palpable. His movements were sharp, frantic, like he was trying to hold on to something slipping through his fingers. Every step he took felt heavier, his mind clearly spiraling in a way that made me uneasy.
"I don't know what to do right now," Brandon muttered under his breath, his frustration barely contained. His hands were clenched into fists, his voice shaking with anger as he continued, "I protected you every time, and this is how you repay me? You ruin me. I can't even believe it. Do you even love me at all?" His words were sharp, laced with venom, each one hitting me like a punch.
Those words stung. I could feel them digging deep, pulling up old wounds that I thought we had buried. He was throwing the past back in my face, twisting the knife just a little more. I felt my chest tighten, the hurt settling in, but I refused to let it take over.
"Brandon," I started, my voice trembling but steady enough to stand my ground, "I didn't report you. I guess someone from the office or... my boss did." I met his eyes, trying to cut through the anger and bitterness. "That's why I'm home early—I wanted to talk, to deal with this together, to find a way out."
But I could see the disbelief in his eyes, the way he was struggling to trust me, to believe that I wasn't the one who had betrayed him. It hurt, but I needed him to understand that I wasn't the enemy here. We were both caught in this mess, and fighting each other wasn't going to save us.
"Don't play that game with me, you manipulative," Brandon spat, his voice dripping with anger and resentment. His eyes were wild, and the words felt like daggers. "And don't even think for a second that there's any trust left between us. If I'm going down, you're coming down with me."
The sheer venom in his voice sent a chill through me, freezing me in place. My heart pounded in my chest, every beat a painful reminder that the person I thought I knew was unraveling before me. This wasn't the Brandon I loved—the Brandon I thought would stand by me. This was someone different, someone cold and filled with rage.
"Brandon, you know the truth," I stammered, my voice barely audible, shaking as I tried to defend myself. My body trembled, not just from fear, but from the realization that the man I had trusted with everything was turning against me.
I couldn't believe what was happening. The same Brandon who had once protected me was now the one threatening to drag me down with him. How did we get here? How did it all come to this?
"Yes, I know the truth," Brandon sneered, his voice low and menacing. "Only me. No one else. So wherever I'm going, you're coming with me." He laughed, a cruel, hollow sound that echoed in the room, making my skin crawl. It wasn't a laugh of humor—it was a laugh of someone who had lost all sense of compassion, of decency.
I felt my stomach twist, the depth of his words sinking in. The person I once loved was now a stranger, and his words made it clear—he didn't care about dragging me down with him. My mind screamed with anger, betrayal, and heartbreak all at once.
"I HATE YOU!" I shouted, the words bursting out of me like they'd been waiting to escape. My voice cracked, and before I could stop them, tears spilled from the corners of my eyes. I hated how vulnerable I felt in that moment, how powerless I was against the storm of emotions surging through me.
I couldn't take it anymore. My body folded in on itself, and I curled up, pressing my knees to my chest as I fought the tight, burning ache in my heart. Fear, pain, and anger swirled inside me like a storm. I couldn't breathe properly. My chest hurt as if it would collapse under the weight of everything happening.
Suddenly, I heard the creak of the door. My head snapped up, eyes blurry with tears, and I saw Brandon walking away, his figure retreating toward the hall. Panic flooded me, and I scrambled to get up, stumbling as I rushed after him. I wasn't sure what I was doing—if I was chasing him or trying to stop him—but I followed, my feet moving without thought.
Just as I reached him, Brandon slammed the door shut and locked it from the outside. The sound of the lock clicking into place echoed in the space, sealing me inside. He'd trapped me. He had trapped me.
I stood there for a moment, frozen in disbelief, rage bubbling up inside me. I pressed my back against the door and slid down to the floor, anger and hatred swirling in my veins. I hated him—I hated him—for what he was doing, for the person he'd become. I hated Kabir, too. This man had pulled us into a nightmare, and now I felt like everything was breaking apart. I hated everything. I hated myself for being so helpless, for getting caught up in this mess.
Sitting there, with my back against the door and tears streaming down my face, the weight of it all pressed harder and harder on my chest.