Chapter 5: The Ultimatum
570 Words
Sienna stood at the edge of the penthouse balcony, wind whipping through her hair. The skyline glittered below, but nothing felt steady.
Alexander’s voice sliced through the tension. “You’re not going back to that place.”
“My apartment is not ‘that place.’ It’s my home,” she snapped.
“You’re carrying my child. That changes everything.”
“No, Alexander. You want control. That’s what this is.”
His jaw clenched, and for the first time, she saw something flicker behind his eyes fear? Guilt?
He stepped forward. “I’m offering protection.”
“I never asked for it,” she whispered. “And I won’t live in a prison just because you don’t know how to love.”
Alexander stared at the closed door long after she walked away.
In his world, emotions were liabilities. Yet here he was, haunted by a woman with tear-streaked cheeks and fire in her voice.
He watched the security footage of her asleep in the guest room. Hand on her belly. Protective. Peaceful.
He whispered into the empty room, “Why can’t I let you go?”
His phone buzzed. It was Julian, his right hand man.
“She’s clean. No lawsuits, no scandals. Just... bad luck.”
Alexander closed his eyes. She wasn’t after his money. She never was.
That truth unsettled him more than any lie.
The next morning, Sienna tried to sneak out.
She didn’t get far.
Alexander stood by the elevator, arms folded. “Going somewhere?”
She held his gaze. “I need air.”
“I’ll come.”
She rolled her eyes. “What? You don’t trust me?”
“No,” he said calmly. “I don’t trust myself.”
They walked in silence through Central Park. It was oddly... normal.
Then came the downpour. Out of nowhere. Rain soaked her dress. She started to laugh. For a moment, she forgot everything.
He just stood there. Staring. Then something wild overcame him.
He pulled her into a kiss hot, desperate, raw.
The rain couldn’t wash it away.
The kiss left them both breathless.
When they pulled apart, he looked down at her like he’d never seen her before.
“You make me feel things I buried years ago,” he said. “And I hate it.”
“I’m not asking you to feel anything,” she murmured. “Just... be honest.”
He stepped back. Cold walls slamming back into place.
“This was a mistake.”
Sienna blinked back tears. “Right. Of course.”
She walked away, shivering. Not from the rain but from how quickly warmth in him died.
He let her go again. And it tore at something he thought he’d buried deep.
Sienna wrapped herself in a blanket back in her room. Her lips still tingled.
She hated how much she wanted him to mean that kiss.
A knock came.
Alexander stepped in. His shirt damp. His eyes unreadable.
“I brought soup,” he said awkwardly. “You’ll get sick.”
She blinked.
He placed the tray down and turned to leave.
“Alexander,” she said softly, “why do you push me away?”
He paused. Then whispered, “Because everyone I let close ends up leaving.”
She stood. Walked over. Took his hand.
“I’m not everyone.”
For once, he didn’t pull away.
And for the first time, neither did she.
- Writer
