Chapter 19 – No Control Left
765 Words
The boardroom had gone silent before she hit the floor.
One moment—Nia was speaking.
Sharp. Focused. In control.
The next—
Everything went black.
When she woke up, it was white ceilings and muted voices.
“…She needs to rest.”
“…This can’t keep happening.”
“…her blood pressure is unstable again…”
Hospital.
Again.
Nia stared at the ceiling, her expression blank.
“I’m fine,” she muttered.
No one believed her.
By the time she got home, the silence felt heavier than usual.
Marcus was already there.
Ryan too.
Waiting.
That alone told her everything.
Nia walked past them without a word, dropping her bag on the table.
“I don’t need a lecture.”
“No,” Marcus said sharply. “You need to start telling the truth.”
She stopped.
Slowly turned.
“What truth?”
Ryan stepped forward slightly, his gaze steady.
“The one about what you’ve been taking.”
Silence.
Nia’s expression didn’t change.
But something in her eyes did.
“I don’t know what your problem is.”
Marcus let out a short, humorless laugh.
“Stop it.”
She didn’t respond.
Ryan didn’t raise his voice.
Didn’t push.
“You passed out in a board meeting,” he said. “To everyone out there this is stress but we know this isn’t just stress anymore.”
Nia’s jaw tightened.
“I said I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not,” Marcus snapped. “And we both know why.”
That did it.
Something snapped under the surface.
Nia’s hand hit the table hard.
“Can you both just stop?!” she yelled.
The room went still.
Her breathing picked up instantly.
Too fast.
Too uneven.
“I just got out of the hospital,” she continued, her voice sharp, rising. “And the first thing you want to do is interrogate me?”
“We’re trying to help you,” Marcus shot back.
“I don’t need your help!”
Her voice echoed through the room.
Ryan watched her closely.
Every movement.
Every shift.
“You’re getting worse, these things are affecting you” he said quietly.
Nia turned to him sharply.
“I’m not!”
“You are,” he replied. “You can’t even hold a conversation without snapping.”
That hit.
Her hands started to shake slightly.
“I’m just tired,” she said quickly. “That’s all.”
“A lie,” Marcus said immediately.
Nia’s head snapped toward him.
“Excuse me?”
“You think we don’t see it?” he continued. “The mood swings. The irritation. The way you’re barely holding it together?”
“Shut up.”
“Or what?” Marcus challenged.
“JUST—SHUT UP!”
Her voice broke through the room again.
Louder this time.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly.
Her vision blurred slightly.
“Why is everyone on my case?!” she snapped. “I said I’m fine—why can’t you just leave it alone?!”
Ryan stepped closer, his tone firmer now.
“Because those drugs you’re taking are messing with you.”
Silence.
That landed.
Nia froze.
Just for a second.
Then—
Her expression hardened.
“You don’t know anything,” she said coldly.
“We know enough,” Marcus replied.
Her hands clenched at her sides.
“No, you don’t,” she shot back. “You don’t know what it’s like to have everything in your head all at once—every second—every day—”
Her voice cracked slightly.
But she pushed through it.
“And when something finally makes it quiet, you expect me to just stop?”
Ryan’s expression didn’t soften.
“It’s not making it quiet,” he said. “It’s breaking you.”
Silence.
Nia shook her head slowly.
“No… it’s not.”
But even she didn’t sound convinced.
Marcus stepped closer.
“You passed out, Nia.”
Her eyes flickered.
“In front of your entire board,” he added. “That’s not control. That’s collapse. Those drugs are doing something”
That word lingered.
Nia looked away.
Her breathing slowed slightly.
But her hands—
Still shaking.
“I just need time, and some space” she muttered.
Ryan shook his head.
“You’re running out of it.”
Silence filled the room again.
Because this time—
They weren’t guessing.
They knew.
And Nia?
She could feel it too.
Something was wrong.
Worse than before.
And no matter how much she tried to hold it together—
It wasn’t working anymore.
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