CHAPTER FIVE: A Line Crossed
633 Words
The elevator doors slid open to the sleek, glass-walled office of Blackwell & Co., where the air smelled like espresso and quiet ambition. Audrey stepped out, heels clicking softly against the polished marble.
Her blouse was crisp, her lipstick a perfectly applied shade of strength, but beneath the flawless exterior, her nerves trembled like glass.
A sleepless night had hollowed her eyes. The puffiness was hidden under concealer, but nothing could mask the ache in her arm, the tender imprint of Damien’s fingers where he’d grabbed her.
She rubbed it absentmindedly as she walked toward her office, pulse flickering.
“Morning, Ms. Cross,” her assistant, Hannah, chirped from behind her desk.
“Morning, Hannah,” Audrey replied with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
She closed the door to her office and leaned against it for a breath, finally dropping the smile like a heavy coat. Her heels came off next, one after the other, kicked gently to the side as she padded across the room.
Her fingers found the cool glass of the window, forehead resting there like she could absorb some of its stillness. The skyline sprawled in front of her, glittering with promise, but all she could feel was the crack in her own foundation.
Her phone buzzed, but she ignored it.
She hated the pretending. Pretending everything was fine. Pretending her marriage wasn’t disintegrating in slow motion. Pretending she hadn’t flinched when Damien raised his voice last night, not because she was afraid of what he’d do, but because she was afraid of who he was becoming.
A soft knock broke the silence.
Before she could answer, the door opened.
Marcus Blackwell stepped inside, suited, polished, and carrying that same confident energy that made people either want to follow him, or run from him.
Audrey turned, startled. “Marcus”
“I knocked,” he said with a casual smile, holding up a coffee in each hand like peace offerings. “Didn’t wait for an answer. You looked like you needed caffeine and company.”
She hesitated. “I… wasn’t expecting anyone.”
“I gathered,” he said, stepping further inside. “You’re usually earlier than this.
You okay?”
She forced a neutral expression. “Just a rough night.”
He handed her one of the cups, his fingers brushing against hers just a second too long. “Double shot, oat milk, one pump hazelnut. Still your favorite?”
Audrey nodded slowly. Thank you.
Marcus shrugged, moving to lean against her desk like he owned the air in the room.
“I pay attention.”
She sipped the coffee and looked away. I don’t think my personal life is up for debate. She said.
“It’s none of my business,” he said gently, “but you don’t look okay, Audrey. And if someone hurt you…”
Her eyes snapped back to his. “Don’t.”
He didn’t flinch. “You deserve to be seen. Not questioned. And definitely not bruised.”
The air between them tightened.
“Marcus i’m a married woman for Christ sake.” Her voice sharp
“And I’ve never cared less about a ring in my life,” Marcus replied, voice sounding obsessive but firm. “Not when it’s clear the person wearing it is being neglected.”
She stepped back instinctively, her body brushing the edge of the window.
“You’re crossing a line,” she angrily
“I’m standing on one,” he corrected. “And you keep walking closer to it.”
Audrey’s heart pounded.
She didn’t reply.
She couldn’t.
He didn’t touch her. Didn’t push. But his presence lingered even after he walked out, leaving her office and her thoughts in quiet chaos.
Because in that moment, she realized something terrifying.
His getting to obsess.
- Writer
