The breaking point
It had been days since that night, and the tension between us was palpable, suffocating. She had retreated into herself, shutting me out with walls that seemed impossible to breach. But I wasn't about to back down. Not now. Not when we were so close to something I couldn't even fully comprehend yet.
Every move she made, every word she spoke, was a challenge I had to meet. And I could see the struggle in her eyes-the desire to break free, to fight against the hold I had on her, but also the undeniable pull she felt toward me. She wasn't as strong as she thought. Deep down, she needed me more than she wanted to admit. And I would make her realize that.
I found her in the garden that evening, sitting on a stone bench, her hands folded in her lap. The sunlight was fading, casting a golden hue over everything, but the shadows in her eyes told a different story.
She didn't look up as I approached, and for a moment, I simply stood there, watching her, waiting. She was always so composed, always so careful with her emotions, but I could sense the cracks beginning to show. I could feel the fragility in the air, as though she was about to shatter, and I was the one standing there, watching it happen.
"Is this how it ends, Sophia?" I asked, my voice calm, controlled. "You give up on me? On us?"
She finally turned to face me, her eyes cold but with something else hidden beneath the surface something I recognized. Fear. And perhaps, even more dangerous, hope.
"I haven't given up on anything," she said, her voice steady but lacking the conviction I knew she wanted to project. "But I'm not going to play your game anymore, Nathan."
Her words hit me harder than they should have. But I refused to let it show. "And yet, here you are, still sitting in my garden, still talking to me. You think you have a choice in this, but you don't. You never did."
She stood up quickly, her movements sharp and agitated. "You think you own me, Nathan. You think you can control me. But I'm not yours to break."Còntens bel0ngs to Nô(v)elDr/a/ma.Org
I stepped closer to her, forcing her to look up at me. "You're wrong," I said, my voice low and dangerous. "You've always belonged to me. Even when you didn't know it. Even when you tried to run."
Her breath caught in her throat, and for the first time, I saw something flicker in her eyes a mixture of regret, longing, and something deeper, something that terrified me. "I never asked for this," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "You think you've chosen me, but it was never your choice to make."
I reached out, my hand brushing against her cheek, my thumb tracing the delicate line of her jaw. She didn't pull away, but I could feel the tension radiating off her, the conflict she was fighting within herself.
"I didn't choose you, Sophia," I murmured, leaning in closer, my breath warm against her skin. "You were chosen for me. The moment I saw you, I knew you were mine."
Her eyes locked onto mine, and for a brief moment, there was silence between us, heavy and thick with everything that had passed between us. The weight of my words hung in the air, and I could see the truth dawning on her, even though she hated it.
"You don't get to do this," she said, her voice shaking, but there was no real anger in it, only defeat. "You can't keep me here, Nathan. You can't keep trying to break me."
I smiled, a cold, calculated smile. "You misunderstand, Sophia. I'm not trying to break you. I'm trying to make you whole. And whether you want to admit it or not, you need me just as much as I need you."
She stepped back, shaking her head. "You're wrong," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "You don't need me. You need control. You need power. And I won't be a part of that anymore."
I took another step forward, closing the distance between us until we were mere inches apart. "You think you have a choice? You think you can walk away from this? From me?"
Her chest rose and fell with shallow breaths, her eyes wide, searching my face for any sign of weakness, but finding none. "I can't walk away from you, Nathan. You've made sure of that."
I nodded slowly, the truth of her words sinking in, even if I didn't want to admit it. "Exactly. And you won't. Not until I say so."
Her eyes flared with something fierce, something that reminded me of the girl I had met all those weeks ago. The girl who was still fighting, still clinging to the remnants of her freedom. I didn't want to crush that spirit, but I knew it was only a matter of time before she would bend to my will. She just didn't know it yet.
"I'll never be yours," she spat, her voice hoarse with emotion.
I smiled again, this time with a glint of something darker in my eyes. "We'll see about that."
And with that, I turned and walked away, knowing that she was mine, even if she didn't fully understand it yet.