Episode 8
1976 Words
Part 1
Protection That Breaks What It Touches
The rain started again.
Hard.
Relentless.
Like a heart beating out of rhythm.
Amika had just stepped into her small rented room.
She hadn’t even taken off her shoes—
When the knock came.
Not a request.
Not polite.
Urgent.
Pressing.
She knew who it was.
The door opened.
Nicholas stood there.
Shirt soaked through.
Rain clinging to his hair.
Eyes sharp.
Unsettled.
Dangerously awake.
“What did you talk about with Selena?”
No greeting.
No restraint.
Amika was silent for a moment.
Then she exhaled.
“You followed me again,” she said.
Calm.
Tired.
“I need to know,” he replied, stepping closer.
The room shrank instantly.
“Do you need to know,” she asked, lifting her gaze,
“or are you afraid?”
The question stopped him.
Just for a second.
Then jealousy dragged him back.
“She shouldn’t be anywhere near you,” he said.
Low.
Final.
“You don’t get to decide who should or shouldn’t,” Amika answered.
Her voice steady.
Unyielding.
“I’m not under your protection anymore.”
Anymore.
The word cut deep.
Nicholas clenched his fists, forcing control.
“I did everything for you,” he said.
Like it was the last defense he had left.
Amika let out a soft laugh.
Sad.
Not mocking.
“That’s exactly why I’m scared,” she said slowly.
Clearly.
“Every time you say that, someone gets hurt.
And it’s usually me.”
Silence pressed down on them.
Heavy.
Suffocating.
Nicholas glanced around the room.
Small.
Plain.
Nothing like his estate.
“How are you even living here?” he asked, as if only noticing now.
“With my own legs,” Amika replied.
Meeting his eyes.
“With money I earned.
With choices I made.”
He didn’t speak.
The words landed like a slap.
“If you still believe protection means control,” she continued,
her voice softer now—but unshaken,
“then you’re no different from the person I ran from.”
Nicholas opened his mouth.
To deny it.
To argue.
No words came.
His phone vibrated.
A message.
He glanced at the screen.
His expression changed.
“I have to go,” he said quickly.
Like an escape.
Amika nodded.
Didn’t stop him.
“Go,” she said quietly.
“And this time—
don’t come back because you’re afraid.”
The door closed.
The sound was sharp.
Final.
Amika slid down, back against the door.
Her heart shook—
But it didn’t break.
In the car, Nicholas gripped the steering wheel.
Hard.
Selena’s message was still open.
If you don’t choose, I will.
He closed his eyes.
He knew it.
This game—
he was about to lose it again.
And if he didn’t learn that love was not possession—
What he would lose
might not be just Amika.
But the only chance
to not become the same man
who destroyed
everything he ever loved.
Part 2
A Trap No One Warned Her About
Amika woke with a weight in her chest.
Nothing hurt.
Nothing was wrong.
And yet—
everything felt off.
Her phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
We need to talk.
About Nicholas.
If you want to know what he’s done before—
Meet me today. 5:00 PM.
Café Aster.
Amika stared at the screen.
She knew who it was.
She knew she should refuse.
But wanting to know
was more dangerous than fear.
Café Aster was quiet.
Clean lines.
Soft light.
Wide glass windows that let the afternoon in.
Amika arrived early.
Chose a table in plain sight.
No hiding.
No running.
Selena walked in.
Dark dress.
Controlled smile.
A woman who never entered a room without owning it.
“Thank you for coming,” Selena said, as if nothing stood between them.
“Say it,” Amika replied.
No detours.
“What do you want?”
Selena placed a tablet on the table.
The screen lit up.
Photos.
Documents.
Chat logs.
Organized.
Precise.
Cruel.
“Do you know,” Selena said softly,
“that Nicholas has never married for love?”
Amika looked.
Didn’t react.
Her heart went cold.
“The women before you,” Selena continued,
“they all ended the same way.
Controlled.
Erased.
And convinced they were worthless.”
She swiped.
A woman appeared on the screen.
Dull eyes.
A hollow face.
“I’m the only one,” Selena said calmly,
“who survived.
Because I learned how to play his game.”
Amika clenched her fists.
Her voice trembled just slightly.
“What do you want from me?”
Selena smiled.
Half a victory already won.
“Step away,” she said.
“Before it hurts more than it already does.”
“And if I don’t?” Amika asked.
Steady.
Selena leaned back, studying her.
“Then I’ll make sure,” she said coolly,
“that he is the one who destroys you.”
That evening, another story surfaced.
Not gossip.
Business.
Sources reveal:
CEO King’s wife interfered with corporate decisions,
causing investor concern and financial instability.
Amika’s name
was no longer tied to rumors—
But to numbers.
Losses.
Blame.
Her phone wouldn’t stop vibrating.
Messages.
Calls.
Questions with no room for explanation.
At the same time, Nicholas stood in the boardroom.
The projector displayed the same headline.
His face was calm.
Cold.
Inside, everything was breaking.
“Were you aware of this?”
One board member asked.
Hostile.
Nicholas didn’t answer right away.
His eyes were fixed on the name on the screen.
The name of the woman
he kept failing—
over
and over
again.
His phone vibrated.
A message from Selena.
The game has begun.
This time—will you protect her?
Or destroy her again?
Nicholas’s fist tightened.
He knew he was cornered.
If he stepped forward to protect her—
the company would shake.
His authority would be questioned.
If he stayed silent—
Amika would be branded the cause.
This time,
there was no safe choice.
Only a decision
that would finally expose
who he truly was.
Part 3
Choosing in Front of Everyone
The main boardroom of King Corporation was silent.
Too silent.
The projector still displayed the same headline.
Amika’s name.
Placed beside words like risk, interference, damage.
Nicholas stood at the head of the table.
Black suit.
Unreadable expression.
The board members sat in a row.
Every gaze sharp.
Unforgiving.
“We want an explanation,” one director said.
Calm.
Pressuring.
“Was your wife involved in this decision?”
It wasn’t just a business question.
It was a challenge to his authority.
Nicholas looked at her name on the screen.
For a single second—
Amika in the café.
Amika outside the ICU.
Amika saying, Don’t protect me by controlling me.
He inhaled slowly.
“No,” he said.
Low.
Clear.
“She had no involvement whatsoever.”
A murmur spread across the table.
“Then how do you explain the sources and the evidence?”
Another voice.
Nicholas remained still.
Then he spoke again.
Slow.
Heavy.
“The report is false,” he said.
“And whoever released it intended to harm the company.”
The tension sharpened.
“Are you accusing someone?”
The senior director asked, brows drawn tight.
Nicholas raised his hand.
The room fell silent.
“I take full responsibility,” he said.
His voice didn’t shake.
“If there is damage, consider it the result of my decision alone.”
The room froze.
“You’re certain?” someone asked.
“This could affect your position.”
Nicholas nodded.
No hesitation.
“I’m certain.”
This wasn’t protection done in shadows.
This was standing in the fire—
for her—
in front of everyone.
At the same time, Amika sat in her rented room.
Her phone lay on the table.
The news kept spreading.
A knock came at the door.
Her heart skipped.
She opened it.
Two men in suits stood there.
“Ms. Amika?” one asked.
Polite.
Official.
“We’re from King Corporation’s legal department.”
Her chest tightened.
“Yes?”
“We need to ask for your statement,” he said.
“To confirm you had no involvement in the recent reports.”
She went still.
Not fear.
Pain.
“Nicholas sent you,” she said quietly.
The men exchanged a glance.
“He requested we proceed immediately.”
Amika let out a soft laugh.
Unsteady.
So he chose.
But he chose in his way.
That night, an update broke.
CEO King issues public statement.
Denies all allegations.
Confirms his wife’s innocence.
Assumes full responsibility for any fallout.
The market wavered.
Public opinion split.
And inside Amika—
something shook.
He protected her.
In front of the world.
But he never asked
if that was how she wanted to be protected.
Her phone vibrated.
His name on the screen.
Nicholas.
She stared at it.
For a long time.
Then she declined the call.
Sometimes,
protection can wound
as deeply as control.
And this time,
she didn’t know whether his choice
had pulled her closer—
or pushed her farther away than ever.
Part 4
The Price of Standing in His Place
The next morning, the noise hadn’t faded.
Her name was everywhere.
Headlines.
Comments.
Eyes that followed her.
Amika stepped into the office and felt it immediately.
Voices dropped.
Glances slid away.
Some held suspicion.
Some held pity.
“Amika…”
A coworker hesitated.
“Are you okay?”
She smiled.
Polite.
Automatic.
“I’m fine.”
Even when she wasn’t.
Fine became a thin armor—
just enough to get through the day.
During the break, her manager asked to speak privately.
“The company doesn’t doubt you,” he said, sincere.
“But things are sensitive right now.
We may need you to work from home for a while.”
Amika nodded.
She understood.
She wasn’t fired.
Just gently pushed out of the room.
That evening, she left the building.
The sky darkened.
Rain threatened.
Her phone vibrated.
Nicholas:
I made this heavier than it needed to be.
But I’ll handle it. I promise.
She stared at the screen.
For a long time.
Then she typed back.
I didn’t ask you to do that.
Send.
The truth settled in her chest—
a truth she didn’t want to accept.
Across the city, Selena sat in a private dining room.
Crystal lights.
Red wine in her hand.
A satisfied smile.
“He really offered his position for her,” her assistant reported softly.
“Interesting,” Selena said.
“Then let’s raise the price.”
She picked up her phone.
Next step ready.
Release the file tonight.
That night, a new file hit the internet.
Not business.
Not finance.
Personal.
Leaked photos of the CEO’s wife with an unknown man—before the marriage.
Old images.
Awkward angles.
Edited.
Twisted.
Amika’s phone wouldn’t stop vibrating.
Messages.
Questions.
Judgments from people who had never known her.
She sank to the floor.
Her hands shook.
No tears.
Just pain—
deep and sharp.
At the same moment, Nicholas stared at the images on his screen.
The blood in his veins went cold.
This wasn’t a warning.
It was destruction.
He dialed immediately.
“Stop this now, Selena,” he said.
Low.
Dangerous.
A soft laugh answered.
“Too late, Nick,” she said.
“This is only the beginning.”
The call ended.
Nicholas clenched his fist.
He knew then—
this was no longer about power.
And if he misstepped again,
Amika might lose the one thing she was fighting for—
a safe place to stand in this world.
As Amika stared at the glowing screen,
her heart splintered.
She finally understood—
the price of being chosen
could be far higher
than the price of never being chosen at all.
- Writer
