The Line He Crossed
732 Words
CHAPTER 6: The Line He Crossed
The horns, the chaos, the blur of traffic. I didn’t register any of it. My mind was stuck on Naomi’s voice, raw and cracking like something barely stitched together.
"It’s your brother. Something’s wrong. They…"
That unfinished sentence roared louder in my skull than any car horn. I slammed harder on the gas, weaving recklessly through traffic.
God, please. Please don’t take him from me. Eli’s all I have left.
By the time I got to the hospital, I was a storm. I didn’t bother parking properly. I just leapt out, dashed past security, and sprinted toward the second floor where they kept long-term patients.
Naomi was pacing in front of the elevators like she’d been trapped in a loop for hours. Her hands shook as she turned to face me.
"Reina—"
"Where is he?" I didn’t mean to snap, but it clawed out of me. Panic didn’t ask for permission.
She raised her hands like she was trying to slow me down. "I came during my lunch break to check on you guys. But when I asked about Eli, they said he was… gone."
My heart stopped. "Gone? What do you mean gone?"
"I thought maybe he was moved to another ward, but I asked around. Everyone said the same thing. He was discharged this morning."
"No. No, I didn’t sign anything. That’s impossible."
Naomi’s face twisted. "They said someone did."
Without another word, I turned and stormed into the nurses' station. A young woman behind the desk looked up, startled.
"Can I help you—"
"Eli Shaw. My brother. He was in room 304 yesterday and now I'm being told he was discharged?" My voice cracked. "Check again. Please."
She hesitated, then tapped quickly into her computer. Her brows pinched. "Yes. Discharged today. 9:42 a.m. A family member signed the release."
"No. I’m the only family he has. I never gave any consent."
He was picked up by a relative. A… brother-in-law. He signed the discharge papers under family authority. It says you gave verbal consent.
Brother-in-law.
My stomach dropped like a lead weight.
Naomi appeared beside me, wide-eyed and flushed with outrage. "Reina doesn’t even have a boyfriend, let alone a husband! Are you telling me you handed him off to a stranger?!"
The nurse’s voice wavered. "He had identification. And your name… was listed."
"This is insane!" I hissed. "You gave my brother to a man I never authorized?"
Naomi was nearly vibrating beside me. "Once we sort this out, we're suing this place to hell."
"No," I murmured, the realization solidifying in my gut like ice. "He took him."
Naomi blinked. "Who?"
I turned to her slowly. "Adrian"
"Reina, what are you talking about? Who is Adrian?"
"I have to go."
"Wait what do you mean he took him?
Who is Adrian?
You’re not making sense. Reina!"
I was already moving. I didn’t have time to explain the devil’s pact I had made.
My legs moved on instinct, fast and ruthless, carrying me back to the car. I started the engine with trembling fingers and peeled out of the parking lot, heart racing like it would split open my ribs.
This wasn’t what we agreed. He said be quiet and he’d take care of my brother. He didn’t say he’d take him away. He crossed a line.
By the time I reached the mansion, I wasn’t even human. I was fire. Fury. A storm wrapped in skin.
The guards didn’t stop me. They didn’t dare.
I stormed through the front doors like I belonged to the building’s bones. Damien appeared from the hallway, brows lifting in alarm.
"Reina? Whoa—slow down. What is—"
"Where is he?"
He blinked. "He’s in a meeting. I can—"
"I don’t care if he’s in the middle of a f*****g coronation." My voice dropped to ice. "Tell me where he is."
He hesitated a second too long.
"His study."
I didn’t thank him. I didn’t speak. I just turned and marched, the echo of my heels like war drums.
By the time I reached the door, I wasn’t afraid.
I was a woman set on fire.
I didn’t knock. I didn’t pause.
I kicked the door open.
Adrian looked up, calm and unreadable.
I met his eyes and let it all explode.
"You sick, controlling bastard—"
- Writer
