Lines are Drawn
1050 Words
The deep hum of the mansion’s generator was the only sound that filled the silence when Logan’s car finally pulled up in the driveway. The headlights sliced through the dusk, and Skylar’s chest tightened as the sleek black car door opened. He was home.
She hadn’t seen him in two days, not since the chaos began. Every second had felt like walking on glass—afraid of what the world would say, and more afraid of what he would.
The front door clicked open.
Logan stepped inside, his coat still on, his expression unreadable. The tension in the air was so sharp it almost hurt to breathe. Skylar stood from the couch immediately, her fingers twisting nervously in front of her.
“Logan…” she began, but her voice trailed off when he raised a hand.
“It’s fine,” he said calmly. “Everything’s under control now.”
She blinked. “What do you mean?”
“The post is gone. The rumors are already fading. My PR team took care of it hours ago.” He loosened his tie and walked toward the table, dropping his phone beside a stack of documents. “But it wasn’t random, Skylar.”
“What?”
He turned to her then, his gaze sharp, his tone low. “Henry is behind it.”
Her heart stopped. “Henry?”
“Yes,” Logan said flatly. “He’s been leaking information and stirring things up since the wedding. I had someone trace the first post about you—it came from one of his company’s marketing interns. Paid anonymously, of course.”
Skylar’s hands flew to her mouth. “But why would he—”
Logan’s jaw tightened. “Because he can’t stand to lose. Not to me. Not when it comes to you.”
The words hung between them, heavy and unspoken. Skylar’s heart twisted, guilt and anger warring in her chest. She wanted to apologize again, to tell him she didn’t ask for any of this—but before she could, he continued.
“I’ll handle Henry,” Logan said, his voice calm but edged with danger. “But a situation like this must never happen again.”
“I—”
“I mean it, Skylar.” His tone softened slightly, but the warning remained. “The next time, it won’t just be gossip. It’ll be headlines that could destroy reputations—mine and yours.”
She nodded, her throat too tight for words.
He exhaled slowly, taking a step closer, his expression unreadable. “And there’s something else.”
“What is it?”
“I forgot to mention earlier,” he said, loosening the cuff of his sleeve. “I don’t allow anyone in my room. Not staff, not friends—no one.”
Skylar frowned slightly. “Okay…”
“But,” he added, his eyes meeting hers, “you can step in.”
The words took her off guard. It wasn’t just an allowance—it was trust. Coming from a man like Logan, that was no small thing. She didn’t know whether to thank him or question it.
He didn’t wait for a response before continuing. “From tonight onward, things will be different. You follow me to work during the day. And if you’re going out, you go with the bodyguards. No exceptions.”
Skylar’s brows furrowed. “Bodyguards?”
“Yes. I can’t risk another incident like this. You’ll be safer that way.”
“Safer,” she repeated quietly. “Or controlled?”
Logan’s eyes flicked to hers, sharp but not surprised. “Both, if that’s what it takes.”
Something in her chest snapped then. She’d been calm all evening, but the tension of the past few days finally found a voice. “You can’t just decide everything for me, Logan. I’m not a child.”
“I’m aware.” His tone was flat. “But you’re my responsibility now.”
“Your responsibility?” she echoed, her voice rising. “That’s all I am to you? Something to manage, like your business?”
He glanced away, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Skylar, not now—”
“No, we’re talking about it now,” she said, stepping closer. “You say this is about protection, but it feels like punishment. You tell me where to go, who to talk to, what to do—”
“Because you don’t see the consequences!” His voice finally cracked, loud enough to make her flinch. “One picture—just one—and it nearly ruined everything I’ve built. You think I’m doing this because I like it?”
Skylar stared at him, speechless.
He exhaled sharply, then turned away, his voice lower now, rough with fatigue. “You signed a contract, Skylar. You knew what this was. I’m helping you, giving you protection, stability—everything you asked for. You don’t get to choose how I do it.”
His words hit her like a slap—not because they were cruel, but because they were true.
“I didn’t mean—” she began softly.
But Logan was already walking toward the stairs, loosening his tie further. “I’m going to my room,” he said coldly. “Get some rest. We leave by eight.”
She followed him halfway up, desperate to fix it. “Logan, please. I didn’t mean to—”
“Enough.” He didn’t raise his voice this time, but the finality in it froze her in place. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
He disappeared into his room, the door clicking shut behind him.
Skylar stood there for a long time, her heart pounding, the echo of his frustration still hanging in the air. The house felt colder now, heavier, as if the walls themselves had absorbed their argument.
She wanted to cry—but instead, she turned away and walked back downstairs.
Maybe he was right. Maybe she didn’t understand his world fully yet.
But what she knew for sure was that being “protected” by Logan King felt a lot like being trapped.
And yet, somewhere deep down, she couldn’t shake the feeling that his anger came not from pride…
…but from something far more complicated.
- Writer
