My Heart Turned To Stone For Him

Donalds

. We were miles outside the city, heading towards an abandoned industrial district. The concrete build

o a dilapidated warehouse. My breath hitched. This was it. The plac

m was gone, replaced by a raw desperation that twisted my gut. He moved wi

s cold, metallic, tasting of rust and fear. I crept closer, staying hidde

d fragile, her pale face streaked with tears. She looked exactly like the delicate fl

r. This must be the business rival. "Winters," the man s

asn't the detached concern of a friend. It was the visceral pain of a man watching the woman he love

id, his voice low, dangerous. "

The perfect, sickly little princess. The one you' d sell your soul for! And you did, didn't you? You m

drug. It all clicked into place with sickening clarity. Brianne's "illness." Aplastic Anemia. It

ush him away, had been meaningless. He never saw me. He only saw the path to

Camden growled, his fists cl

ou want Brianne? You want the love of your life back?" Davies pulled out a knife, its blade glinting wickedly. "You always

r her? The thought of his pain, ev

r voice weak, but filled with a fierce

and desperate resolve in his eyes. He didn't hesitate. Not

her. The man who had gently dressed my scraped hand, asking if i

the warehouse. He didn't cry out. His face contorted, a silent scream, but his eyes never left Brianne. He twisted the blade, as D

g. But even then, his eyes were still on Brianne. "You're safe,

her, juxtaposed with the emptiness of his promises to me, was unb

r. Camden cried out, collapsing fully. "I said she walks, not th

ies cursed, pushing Brianne back into the chair, drawing his own knife. But it was to

shed himself up. He stumbled towards Brianne, his only focus on

his arms, her head resting against his uninjur

looked like sheer relief and exhaustion. "Alwa

eding shoulder. "No! Oh, Camden, you're hurt!" She snatched up the knife Davies had used, her small hand surprisingl

" Camden shouted, his face go

she cried, tears streaming down her fa

brave Brianne." He cradled her head, stroking her hair. The world around them, the sirens, the arrests, the blood, all faded into the

o each other, their bodies covered in each other' s blood, their tears mingling. H

step of the way, refusing to let go. He never asked about me.

manifestation of their bond, a bond I could never break, a bond that had consumed my husband. Every single thing I had felt for him, every flicker of hope, e

the engine, but I didn't tell him where to go. I just stared out the window, watching the

pale, her arm bandaged, but she radiated a smug satisfaction that chilled me to the bone. She fou

ft, fragile, but with an undercu

possibly have to talk about, Brianne?" My voice was ca

About the merger. About your father's drug." She paused, letting the wo

rush. The truth, in her mouth, fel

ys has." She took another step, invading my space. "You know, he never loved yo

e in my artistic chaos. It was all a performance, calibrated to keep me compliant, to keep the merger alive, to

e barely a whisper, "you k

has." She reached out, her hand brushing my arm, and her voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "Your father, he' s just as ba

y own blood. He saw me as a thing, interchangeable, d

y voice like ice. "G

nd soon, it will be mine again. He' s just waiting for the right moment to get rid o

my ears, the distant voices, the agonizing decision that had been

shaking with a rage that threatened to consume me

naive. He' ll never let you go. Not until I'm completely well. And then...you'll just disa

aw. The one thing I held sacred.

the room. "You and Camden, and my father, you' re all the same. You see me as a thing to be manipulated. But you' re wrong. I'

le. "What are you going to do? Run to your

going to talk to my father. Not for help. For justice. And t

like a battlefield. My car was waiting. I knew exactly where I was going. My father' s penthouse. It was time to settle acco