Chapter 38 Breaking Point 1
I drove fast.
Too fast.
The speedometer of my rental car climbed past 80, 90, 100. The world was a blur of green and gray as I tore down the mountain road, putting distance between myself and the man who had just claimed me like a prize.
You are mine. Mine. Not theirs.
His voice echoed in my head, a dark, possessive mantra that made my skin crawl and my heart race in equal measure.
I wasn't angry because he kissed me. I wasn't angry because he fired the crew.
I was angry because for a split second, when he looked at me with that raw, unhinged hunger... I liked it.
I liked being claimed. I liked being the center of his volatile universe. And that terrified me. It meant the poison hadn't just been in the tea. It was in me. It was in my wiring.
I pulled over at a scenic overlook. I slammed the car into park and killed the engine.
I sat there, gripping the steering wheel, breathing hard.
My phone buzzed.
Tristan.
I ignored it.
It buzzed again. And again.
I picked it up.
Twenty missed calls. Ten texts.
Tristan: Come back.
Tristan: Please.
Tristan: I’m sorry.
Tristan: Don't leave me alone.
I stared at the messages.
He was spiraling. I knew the signs. The erratic behavior. The mood swings. The desperation.
He wasn't just jealous. He was traumatized. He had just watched his sister be arrested for murder. He had just found out his mother was poisoned. His world was collapsing, and I was the only pillar left standing.
And I had just walked out on him.
I rested my forehead against the steering wheel.
"Damn it," I whispered.
I couldn't leave him. Not like this. Not when he was drowning.
But I couldn't go back to being a doll, either.
I needed terms. I needed boundaries.
I picked up the phone. I dialed him.
He answered on the first ring.
"Mina?" His voice was ragged. "Where are you? Are you okay?"
"I’m fine," I said. "I’m at the overlook."
"I’m coming to get you."
"No," I said sharply. "You stay right there. You stay in that house and you calm down."
"I can't calm down! You left!"
"I left because you acted like a lunatic," I said. "You fired twenty men because one of them whistled at me. Do you realize how insane that is?"
"He disrespected you."
"He complimented me! It’s a construction site, Tristan, not a monastery! People whistle. People look. It doesn't mean I’m in danger. And it certainly doesn't mean you get to go nuclear."
Silence on the other end. Then, a heavy sigh.
"I know," he whispered. "I know. I just... seeing you in that dress... seeing them look at you... it felt like..."
"Like what?"
"Like I was losing you again. Like I was back in the courtroom five years ago, watching you walk away, and I couldn't do anything to stop it."
My heart softened, just a fraction.
"You’re not losing me to a construction worker, Tristan."
"I’m losing you to the world," he said. "To everyone who isn't me."
"That’s life," I said. "I exist in the world. I am not a secret you can keep in a box."
"I don't want to keep you in a box."
"Then stop building one!" I shouted. "Stop reinforcing the walls! Stop firing the crew! Stop trying to own me!"
"Then tell me what to do!" he yelled back. "Tell me how to love you without being terrified that you’ll vanish!"
"Trust me," I said. "That’s all. Just trust me."
"I do trust you."
"No, you don't. You trust your control. You trust your money. You trust your power. But you don't trust us."
Silence again.
"I’m trying," he said eventually. His voice sounded small. "I’m trying, Mina. But I don't know how. Ida... she taught me that love is control. That if you don't hold on tight, people die."
I closed my eyes.
Ida. Always Ida. Even from a jail cell, she was poisoning us.
"We have to unlearn it," I said. "Both of us."
"Will you come back?" he asked. "Please. I’ll apologize to the crew. I’ll hire them back. I’ll... I’ll do whatever you want."
I looked out at the view. The city was a distant smudge of gray on the horizon. The estate was behind me, hidden in the trees.
"I’m coming back," I said. "But not to the house."
"What?"
"I’m going to the office," I said. "The Veridian headquarters. I have work to do. And you have an apology to write."
"The office?"
"Yes. Meet me there in an hour. And bring Silas. We need to reschedule the west wing demo."
"Okay," he said. "Okay. An hour."
"And Tristan?"
"Yeah?"
"Wear a different suit. That one has my blood on it."
He paused. "From your lip?"
"Yeah."
"I’m keeping it," he said darkly. "It’s a reminder."
"Of what?"
"Of how much I hurt you."
He hung up.
I stared at the phone.
He was impossible. He was damaged. He was dangerous.
And I was driving back to him.
God help me.
Veridian Headquarters
The Veridian building was a monolith of glass and steel in the center of the financial district. It was sleek, cold, and efficient. The antithesis of the Johnston Estate.
I walked into the lobby. The receptionist knew me. She didn't blink at my combat boots or the leather jacket over the green dress.