chapter4 : Obsession
900 Words
Daniel’s Point of View
I saw her…
In the crowd, surrounded by her family, within that false safety that could never save her from me.
Her eyes were on me — no fear, no plea. Only defiance, burning like embers under the ash of rage.
I lifted my hand in silence, beckoning her without a word.
She stood.
She walked forward.
As if she knew that when I called, no pride in the world could shield her from answering.
She whispered, the air between us charged with something that felt like an abyss:
— You’re coming with me.
She lifted her chin, her voice sharp as blades:
— Where?
— My house.
She laughed. My God… that laugh.
Mocking. Still. Pretending to be stronger than she truly was.
But I saw it… the tremor in her eyes.
— I don’t think so.
I breathed, patience laced with irritation…
That defiance, that spark in her voice… it ignited me.
— Emma… I’m not forcing you. Not yet. But if you think staying here means safety… you’re delusional.
She glared at me with furious contempt:
— I just came back… and already you storm in like a black hurricane, threatening them, expecting me to walk away with you as if nothing ever happened?!
I stepped closer. One step.
And behind it… an endless fall.
— Yes. We leave. Now.
— No.
I clenched my jaw.
God, this challenge of hers was not resistance — it was an open invitation to hell.
— Staying here means agreeing to that bastard. And you know well… I don’t share what’s mine.
— I didn’t even know about this marriage, Daniel!
I grabbed her hand — not with gentleness, but with a desperate madness to stop her from running.
Her defiance burned me… melting the last threads of mercy I had.
— Don’t make me hate you with your words. Leave with me now, and I’ll explain. Just us… you and me.
She looked at me for a long time… a last glance at warmth she had known elsewhere.
Then she sighed, her voice fading into gray surrender:
— Wait for me a moment.
She walked to her family.
I saw her mother screaming, trying to pull her away.
I saw her brother crying.
But she never looked back.
She kissed the little one… then returned to me.
And if only they knew…
She wasn’t just leaving them. She was leaving the world behind.
I took her hand.
We walked out of the mansion.
---
In the car…
Miguel sat beside the driver.
She and I in the back.
And silence… silence ruled everything.
She looked out the window.
I looked at her.
Sketching her silhouette in the air, storing every breath, every tremble, every blink.
Then she cut through it, her voice calm but sharp as a knife:
— Daniel, what is going on? Why do I even have to go with you?
Ah, the question I dreaded.
Should I tell her… that I wove her chains with my own hands?
That I prepared for this day since I was a boy, insane with her name?
That I never forgot… not for a single moment?
I drew in a long breath, then met her eyes.
My voice came low, as if torn from the bottom of my soul:
— Because you’re my wife now.
She gasped, turned to me, her features trembling:
— What?! You can’t be serious!
I nodded, a near-absent smile on my lips:
— I’m not joking. Your marriage to me… is already official. Signed, sealed… with a touch of my power.
Her stare was a blade to my chest.
Not just anger — but betrayal, disbelief, and horror.
— I don’t understand. How… when?
I leaned closer, whispering in a voice dripping with hunger:
— I was never gone, Emma. Since the day you left, I’ve been breathing you. Searching for you in other women, only to find emptiness. I was your shadow… even when you didn’t know. I watched you grow, laugh with strangers, cry in silence, thinking I had forgotten you.
I paused, then added, my voice thick with obsession:
— There’s no escape from me. You are my name, my soul, my curse… And what’s done cannot be undone.
— But I never agreed to this! Our marriage isn’t legal!
I laughed, quiet and deadly:
— And do you really think human laws matter to me? I am your law now, Emma. Whether you like it or not.
She leaned away, as if the air between us had grown heavier.
As if she finally felt the bars of her cage.
— I’ll take you somewhere to rest tonight. Food, sleep, fresh air. But tomorrow… tomorrow will be the wedding. In front of everyone.
— Wedding?!
— Yes. Music, flowers, a white dress… But don’t be fooled, Emma. Behind all of it stands a man… who has burned in your name for years.
— The dress? The guests? You planned all this without me?!
I nodded, cold and unyielding:
— Yes. Because I don’t need your permission to fulfill my fate.
She looked at me, on the verge of breaking.
But she didn’t break.
And that… only makes my obsession with her stronger.
Ah, Emma…
You’re the only one who didn’t run when you saw the beast in my eyes.
But you were mistaken.
Now, there is no escape.
- Writer
