THE STORM INSIDE
1270 Words
KATHERINE
I had never felt this way in a long time. I didn’t know what I was doing. Maybe I just needed to breathe, to get away from the suffocating weight of Dominic’s anger—the way his voice could crawl under my skin, stirring emotions I didn’t want to name.
The night air was cold when I stepped out of the mansion, brushing against my bare arms like a warning. I saw Adrian’s car idling near the gate, headlights off, as if he knew I’d come.
Maybe he did.
I shouldn’t have gone to him. I knew that much. But Dominic’s words—Stay away from him—echoed in my head like a dare. And I’ve never been good at following orders, and I needed to show him that.
I walked up to the car, my heels clicking against the driveway. Adrian looked up when he saw me, a smirk already forming on his lips, the kind that said he’d won something I didn’t even realise I was fighting for.
“Katherine,” he drawled, rolling down the window. “Couldn’t sleep?”
“Drive,” I said quietly, and opened the passenger door.
He didn’t ask where. He just started the engine and drove. The silence between us was thick, filled with things we didn’t want to say out loud. I could still feel the ghost of Dominic’s touch on my skin, the way his voice had dropped when he’d said what’s mine.
And I hated that it made me shiver.
Adrian glanced at me a few times as we drove through the sleeping city. “You shouldn’t let him get to you,” he said finally, his tone soft, careful. “That’s how he wins—by making you believe he controls you.”
I looked out the window. “You don’t know him like I do.”
“I know him better than you think,” he replied, his jaw tightening. “I know how he operates. Cold. Calculated. And when something—or someone—challenges that control, he lashes out.”
“Maybe because people keep betraying him.”
That made him chuckle darkly. “Is that what he told you?”
I didn’t answer.
He pulled the car over near a quiet overlook. The city lights shimmered below us, distant and untouchable. Adrian leaned back in his seat, turning to face me fully.
“Tell me something, Katherine,” he said softly. “Are you happy with him?”
The question caught me off guard. Happiness wasn’t something I associated with Dominic—it was too fragile, too human. What I felt for him was… something else. A storm that alternated between passion and pain.
“I don’t know,” I whispered.
He smiled faintly, like he’d expected that answer. “You deserve more than not knowing.”
I turned toward him, my voice low. “And you think you can give me that?”
His gaze softened. “I can give you peace.”
Peace. The word sounded foreign to me. I’d forgotten what it even felt like.
But before I could respond, his phone buzzed. He glanced at it briefly, and I saw it—the name flashing on the screen. Bianca.
His expression changed for just a second, but I caught it. A flicker of guilt.
He silenced the phone quickly, but the damage was done.
“Bianca?” I asked, my voice sharper now. “Why is she calling you?”
He hesitated. “It’s… complicated.”
“No,” I said, my chest tightening. “Try me.”
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “She’s… helping me with something. Business. You wouldn’t understand.”
Business. The same excuse he always used in the past when he wanted to hide something. I turned away, pressing my fingers against my temple. “You'll never change,” I muttered. “You are just like him.”
Adrian leaned closer, his voice low. “No, Katherine. I’m not like him. I don’t lie to control you. I just—”
He stopped himself.
“Just what?” I asked.
He looked at me for a long moment, then smiled faintly. “Just want you to see him for who he really is.”
His phone buzzed again. He ignored it.
I crossed my arms. “You’re playing a dangerous game, Adrian.”
“So is he,” he said quietly. “And you’re the prize.”
My breath caught.
That’s when I realised what this was.
This wasn’t about love. Not for Adrian. Not for Dominic. It was about power. About who could claim me first—not because of who I was, but because of what I represented.
A pawn. A possession.
But what neither of them realised was that I wasn’t the same woman they thought I was. I’d learned how to survive between two devils.
And this time, I wouldn’t let either one win.
I reached for the car door handle. “Take me back.”
He blinked. “What?”
“I said take me back, Adrian.” My tone was calm, steady.
He hesitated, studying my face like he was trying to read what had changed. Then he nodded and started the car.
The drive back was silent. When we reached the mansion, I opened the door without waiting for him to say a word.
“Katherine,” he called out.
I paused, not turning.
“You don’t have to play his game.”
I glanced over my shoulder, my eyes meeting his. “Maybe it’s not his game anymore.”
Then I walked inside.
The house was quiet, dark except for the faint glow of light from Dominic’s study. I knew he was still awake. I could feel it—the tension in the air, like electricity.
I paused at the doorway. He was sitting behind his desk, his shirt unbuttoned at the collar, a half-empty glass of whiskey beside him. He didn’t look up right away, but I knew he’d sensed me.
“Did you have a nice drive?” he said finally, his voice calm—too calm.
I swallowed hard. “I needed air.”
“Is that what he gives you? Air?”
“Maybe.”
He finally looked up, his eyes locking with mine. There was no fury this time, no raised voice. Just quiet control, colder than anger. “You think he cares about you, Katherine? He doesn’t. He’s using you to get to me.”
“And what if I’m using him to get to you?”
The words slipped out before I could stop them. His expression changed—something dark and unreadable flickering in his eyes.
“Careful,” he said softly. “You don’t know what you’re playing with.”
I stepped closer, my heart pounding. “Maybe I do.”
He stood, closing the distance between us. His presence filled the room, his scent, his heat, the dangerous calm in his voice. “You think you can play both sides?”
“Maybe I already am.”
His hand shot out, catching my wrist—not roughly, but firmly enough to make my pulse race. “You’ll get burned,” he murmured.
“Then maybe it’s worth it.”
We stood there, neither of us moving. Just breathing. The air between us crackled with unspoken things—want, hate, fear, something darker that neither of us dared name.
I didn’t know if he was about to kiss me or destroy me — but either way, I wasn’t going to stop him.
- Writer
