The Breaking Point
1178 Words
Naomi’s POV
Vincent came back much later that night.
By then, the staff had already gone back to their quarters, and Chase hadn’t left the guest room since he arrived.
I was sitting on the edge of the bed when the door suddenly flew open.
Vincent stormed inside.
“How dare you slap Victoria?”
I immediately stood up.
The anger in his voice frightened me.
“Bring your voice down,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “You literally have a guest in the house.”
“I don’t care!”
He threw his suitcase onto the floor.
I took a small step back.
I had never seen him this angry before.
“Vincent…”
“You embarrassed my daughter!”
“She embarrassed herself.”
His eyes widened.
“What did you just say?”
“She called me a gold digger.”
“So you thought slapping her was the answer?”
“I’ve tolerated her insults for three years.”
“That doesn’t give you the right to put your hands on her!”
I stared at him.
“Really?”
He frowned.
“Yes, really.”
“You brought another woman into our bedroom yesterday, and you’re standing here shouting at me because I slapped your daughter?”
His expression changed.
For a second, he said nothing.
I could see the guilt on his face, but it disappeared almost as quickly as it came.
“This has nothing to do with what happened yesterday.”
“It has everything to do with it.”
I felt my eyes burning.
“You’ve spent three years expecting me to stay quiet and play the perfect wife. But I’m done pretending everything is fine.”
Vincent took a step toward me.
“Watch your words, Naomi.”
I didn’t move.
“No. You watch yours.”
The room went silent.
And for the first time since I married Vincent, I wasn’t afraid of what he thought of me.
I was angry. Hurt.
And I was tired of pretending I wasn’t.
Vincent stared at me for a few seconds before letting out a frustrated sigh.
“You’ve changed.”
“Maybe I’m just tired.”
“Tired of what?”
“Of everything.”
I looked away from him.
“For three years, I’ve done everything you expected from me. I stayed quiet. I smiled when I didn’t feel like smiling. I played the perfect wife.”
“Naomi…”
“And now you’re angry because I finally stood up for myself?”
His expression hardened.
“I’m angry because you slapped my daughter.”
“And I’m angry because your daughter thinks she can insult me whenever she wants.”
“She’s my daughter.”
“And I’m your wife.”
He went quiet.
I swallowed hard.
“Or does that only matter when it’s convenient for you?”
His jaw tightened.
“You know I’ve always taken care of you.”
I immediately looked at him.
“Don’t.”
“Naomi, I’m just saying…”
“No. Don’t use that against me.”
“I’m not using anything against you.”
“You mentioned Mia.”
“I only reminded you that this marriage has given you and your sister a comfortable life.”
I felt my chest tighten.
“So that means I should accept everything you do?”
“That’s not what I said.”
“It’s what you meant.”
He sighed.
“I gave you a home. I made sure Mia had everything she needed. I never stopped you from living the life you wanted.”
“And what did you expect in return?”
He frowned.
“What?”
“You expected me to be grateful enough to tolerate anything.”
“That’s unfair.”
“Is it?”
I stared at him.
“You think because you paid for my sister’s education and gave me this house, I owe you my silence?”
“I never said that.”
“You didn’t have to.”
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
I could feel the anger slowly turning into something else.
Disappointment.
Three years.
That was how long I had been married to this man.
Three years of sleeping beside someone I never truly loved.
Three years of convincing myself that maybe love wasn’t necessary.
That security was enough.
That having Mia taken care of was enough.
But now I was standing in front of him, realizing that I didn’t even recognize the woman I had become.
Vincent picked up his suitcase.
“I’m not going to argue with you all night.”
“Good.”
He headed toward the door.
Then he stopped.
“We’ll talk about this tomorrow.”
“I have nothing else to say.”
He looked back at me.
“You’re still my wife, Naomi.”
I gave him a bitter smile.
“Then maybe you should start treating me like one.”
His expression changed, but he said nothing.
He walked out and closed the door behind him.
I stood there for a few seconds.
Then I finally let out the breath I had been holding.
My legs felt weak, so I sat back down on the edge of the bed.
I stared at the floor.
I couldn’t believe I had actually spoken to Vincent like that.
Normally, I would have apologized just to keep the peace.
But tonight, I didn’t regret a single word.
I picked up my phone from the bedside table.
Mia had sent me a message.
Are you okay?
I stared at it for a while before replying.
I’m fine.
A few seconds later, another message came in.
Are you sure?
I smiled sadly.
I’ll tell you everything tomorrow.
I put my phone down.
I wasn’t tired anymore.
My head was filled with too many thoughts.
Eventually, I decided to get some water.
The house was quiet.
Most of the lights were off, except for the one in the living room.
I frowned when I saw someone sitting on the couch.
Chase.
He looked up when he heard my footsteps.
“Couldn’t sleep?”
“I could ask you the same thing.”
He smiled slightly.
“Fair enough.”
I walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water.
When I turned around, he was still looking at me.
“What?”
“You and Uncle Vincent had a pretty intense argument.”
I frowned.
“You were listening?”
“Not intentionally. The walls aren’t exactly soundproof.”
I rolled my eyes.
“It’s none of your business.”
“I know.”
I started walking toward the stairs.
“Naomi.”
I stopped and looked back.
“You okay?”
The question caught me off guard.
I looked away.
“I’m fine.”
He nodded.
“Okay.”
I continued upstairs without saying anything else.
But for some reason, his question stayed in my head.
You okay?
It was such a simple question.
Yet nobody had asked me that all day.
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