Chapter 300: She Dumped Me

\[Theodore\]

The elevator doors parted with a soft ping, and my world stopped turning. There stood Sarah, her face ravaged by tears, mascara smudged beneath those beautiful eyes now swollen and red. The sight of her punched the air from my lungs. For a fleeting moment, our gazes locked—hers filled with such raw anguish that it physically hurt me—before she looked away, shoulders hunching as if to make herself smaller.

"Sarah—" Her name escaped my lips like a prayer.

She tried to slip past me, her body angling away as if I were contagious. Without thinking, I reached out, my fingers closing around her wrist.

"Sarah!" I tightened my grip, feeling her pulse racing beneath my thumb.

She whirled toward me, her tear-stained face contorting with something between agony and fury. "No!" Her free hand crashed against my chest, again and again, each blow weaker than the last but somehow more devastating.

"Let go of me!" she cried, her voice cracking. "Let me go!"

The raw emotion in her voice shocked me. I released her instantly, a cold feeling spreading through my chest. Something was terribly wrong. I'd never seen her this broken, not even during the kidnapping.

"Sarah, what's wrong?" My voice came out softer than I intended.

"Theodore, don't follow me!" She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and turned away.

I watched her walk away, my feet rooted to the ground. Three seconds passed. Four. Five. Then something snapped inside me. I couldn't let her leave like this. My body moved before my mind could catch up, taking long strides after her.

The second elevator announced its arrival with a cheerful ding that felt obscenely out of place in my emotional turmoil. Mike burst through its doors like a guard dog released from its chain. From the corner of my eye, I caught the receptionist's guilty glance—she'd summoned the watchdog.

"Theodore! What the hell are you doing here?" Mike planted himself between Sarah and me, shoulders squared, chest puffed up like a territorial rooster. His fingers clamped around my arm with enough force to leave marks. "You came for Sarah? What exactly do you want with her?"

At the sound of Mike's voice, Sarah half-turned, her tear-ravaged face visible in profile. Mike's expression transformed at the sight of her tears, concern hardening into righteous fury in the space of a heartbeat. His protective instinct flared like a match to gasoline.

"Damn it! You made her cry?" The accusation flew from his lips.

The impact sent shockwaves of pain radiating through my jaw, the crack of knuckles against bone echoing in the marble lobby. My mouth filled with the coppery tang of blood, hot and metallic against my tongue. For a split second, the physical pain provided blessed relief from the emotional torment.

My body responded before my mind could intervene, my fist connecting with Mike's face with a satisfying thud. The impact vibrated up my arm as he staggered backward, eyes wide with shock that I'd actually hit back.

Sarah inhaled deeply, her shoulders squaring as she visibly gathered the scattered pieces of her composure. Each deliberate step she took toward us echoed through the lobby like a judge approaching the bench.

"Stop it! Both of you!" The command cut through the air with such authority that my body responded before my brain processed the words.

We froze like schoolboys caught fighting, my fist suspended mid-swing. Slowly, I lowered my arm, blood thrumming in my ears, pulse pounding in my temple.

"If you want to fight, do it somewhere else! Just leave me alone!" Sarah's voice cracked on the last word, revealing the fragility beneath her commanding presence. Without another glance, she turned and fled the building, taking a piece of my heart with her.

I lunged forward instinctively, every cell in my body screaming to follow her, but Mike's grip returned to my arm like a vise. His fingers dug into the muscle with bruising intensity.

"Theodore! What did you do to her?" A thin line of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, staining his perfect white collar. His eyes burned with accusation.

"I was planning to talk to her, but I didn't get the chance!" The words rumbled from deep in my chest, part growl, part plea. My jaw throbbed where he'd struck me, the beginning of what would undoubtedly be an impressive bruise forming beneath my skin.

"Then why was she crying?" Mike's grip tightened further, his knuckles bleaching white with effort.

"Let go! I need to ask her myself!" I wrenched my arm free with enough force to make him stumble.

"Are you sure you didn't upset her?" Suspicion narrowed Mike's eyes to slits as he reached for my arm again, unwilling to let me escape so easily.

The tension between us crackled like live electricity, the air thick enough to choke on. Into this charged atmosphere, the receptionist cautiously ventured, clutching two glasses of water as if offering sacrifices to volatile gods. Her hands trembled visibly, water sloshing dangerously close to the rims.

"Sir," she addressed Mike, voice pitched higher than normal, "Mr. Pierce arrived and met the boss at the elevator... they barely exchanged words... I don't think he made her cry." Having delivered this information, she retreated hastily, clearly wanting no part in our conflict.

Mike's grip loosened, embarrassment flashing across his face like a neon sign. I turned toward the entrance just in time to see Sarah's car pulling away, taillights glowing red in the distance.

"Sorry about that. I assumed you made her cry." Mike's tone softened to something approaching contrition. His posture relaxed, the fight draining out of him as he guided me toward the elevator. "Let me buy you tea as an apology. She told us not to bother her, so you should probably leave her alone for now."

I frowned, my mind replaying the image of Sarah's tear-streaked face on an excruciating loop. "You really don't know what happened to her?"

"No idea," Mike punched the elevator button with unnecessary force. "She was fine this morning. That's why I thought it must have been you."

The elevator doors closed with finality, trapping us in a metal box barely large enough to contain our mutual discomfort. The tension between us was a living thing, consuming the oxygen and leaving little room to breathe.

"Do you know where she got the two hundred million from?" I asked, getting to my real concern. My fingers tapped restlessly against my thigh. "She transferred that amount to me today. Her companies couldn't produce that much cash."

"Is that why you came looking for her? For money?" Mike's eyebrows shot up.

"Yes." I kept my answer simple, watching his face for any reaction.

"I don't know!" His eyes shifted away too quickly. He was lying. "She doesn't tell me much these days. She thinks I've become 'your person' because I'm close to Alex."

I stared at him, unblinking. Unable to bear my scrutiny, Mike changed the subject. "Being with Victoria—you're just trying to make Sarah jealous, aren't you?" His voice took on an accusatory tone. "Aren't you worried about stressing her and harming the baby?"

"Are you suggesting that after she dumped me, I should remain chaste for her sake?" My voice was deadly quiet.

"Even if you can't stay completely celibate, did you have to get together with Victoria so quickly?" Mike challenged, his face flushing. "Couldn't you at least wait until after the baby is born?"

"What makes you think she cares who I'm with?" I asked, my jaw clenching so tight it hurt.

"What makes you think she doesn't?" he shot back.

"She dumped me!" The words burst out of me like bullets. My hands curled into fists at my sides. "If she cared, why would she end things?"

The raw emotion in my voice made Mike step back slightly, his eyes widening.

The elevator arrived at our floor with a soft 'ding.' We stepped into Mike's office, the door closing behind us with a final click.

"Theodore, haven't you thought about why she broke up with you?" Mike asked, his voice softer now.

"She blames me for signing the consent form without her permission. She thinks I didn't prioritize our child." I listed the reasons mechanically, though each word felt like glass in my throat. "She believes I won't be a good father, so she doesn't want to raise a child with me."

Mike shook his head. "That's partly right, but not entirely. Even if she doesn't trust you, she still loves you!" His eyes locked with mine. "She ended things because she's afraid the baby might have problems, and she wants to bear all the consequences alone!"

A bitter laugh escaped me. "Did she tell you this herself?"

"Why are you laughing?" Mike's face reddened with anger. "If Lily hadn't recovered to her current condition, she'd probably still be locked in your golden cage! If your child with Sarah has problems, would you also lock this child away from the world?"

His words hit me like a physical blow. The smile vanished from my face, replaced by cold fury. "I locked Lily in a golden cage? Is that how you all see me?"