CHAPTER ELEVEN
668 Words
(Adrian POV)
Ending it was the right decision.
Necessary.
Controlled.
Exactly how it was supposed to be.
So why did it feel like a mistake?
I stared at the file in front of me.
Numbers. Reports. Contracts.
None of it made sense.
Not because it was complicated, but because I couldn’t focus long enough to care.
“Sir?”
My assistant’s voice pulled me back.
“Yes.”
“You have a meeting in ten minutes.”
“Cancel it.”
A pause.
“It’s important.”
“So is this,” I said coldly.
Even though I had no idea what “this” was.
The door closed behind her.
Silence returned.
And with it,
her.
Lena.
The way she looked at me last night.
Not angry.
Not even surprised.
Just,
done.
I leaned back in my chair, exhaling slowly.
This was why I ended it.
Before it got worse.
Before it turned into something I couldn’t control.
Before it became real.
My jaw tightened.
Too late.
A knock sounded.
Without waiting for an answer, the door opened.
Of course.
“Still avoiding me?”
Victoria.
I didn’t look at her.
“Leave.”
She stepped inside anyway.
Naturally.
“You always do this,” she said calmly. “End things the moment they stop being convenient.”
“I said leave.”
“And I said no.”
Silence stretched.
Tense.
“You went to see her,” I said finally.
Not a question.
Her lips curved slightly.
“Yes.”
My gaze snapped to hers.
“Why?”
“Because you wouldn’t.”
The answer came too easily.
Too confidently.
“That wasn’t your place.”
“Neither is pretending she didn’t matter,” she shot back.
“She didn’t.”
That was a lie, and Victoria saw it instantly.
Of course she did.
“Careful,” she said softly. “You’re starting to sound like you did with me.”
That was enough.
“Don’t.”
Her expression didn’t change.
“You think pushing her away will fix this?” she continued. “It won’t.”
“It already did.”
“No,” she said quietly. “It just delayed it.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Uncomfortable.
Because part of me, knew she was right.
“She was different,” Victoria added.
That made me look at her.
Sharp.
Warning.
“Don’t.”
“Why not?” she challenged. “You noticed it too.”
I slowly stood up.
“This conversation is over.”
She didn’t move.
Didn’t back down.
“You didn’t just lose control with her,” she said. “You cared.”
The word hit harder than it should have.
“I don’t care,” I said coldly.
Victoria smiled.
Not amused.
Not kind.
Just knowing.
"That’s the problem,” she said quietly.
“You do.”
Silence snapped between us.
For a second,
just a second,
I saw it.
That moment.
The kiss.
The way she looked at me after.
Not confused.
Not unsure.
Just,
real.
I turned away.
“Get out.”
This time,
Victoria listened.
But as she reached the door,
she stopped.
“You can end the contract,” she said without turning,
“but that doesn’t mean it’s over.”
The door closed behind her.
Silence again.
I exhaled slowly, running a hand through my hair.
This was exactly why I had rules.
Why I didn’t let things go this far.
Why I ended it, before it destroyed everything.
And yet,
My hand moved almost automatically.
Reaching for my phone.
I stopped.
Midway.
No.
Bad idea.
I dropped my hand back to the desk.
Because this was the point.
The line.
The moment where I either fixed this,
or made it worse.
And I didn’t make mistakes.
But then,
my mind betrayed me.
Her voice.
Her eyes.
The way she said:
"Then say it like you believe it.”
I closed my eyes briefly.
Jaw tightening.
I didn’t believe it.
And that was the real problem.
- Writer
