Chapter 14%
The door rattled violently under Jairus’s pounding fists. And I could also hear his desperate voice on the other side.
“Vanessa, open the damn door! You can’t just throw everything away like this!”
I stood in the center of my living room with my arms crossed while staring at the locked door as his shouting grew more erratic. I had ignored the messages, the calls, and even the thinly veiled threats disguised as pleas. I had hoped he would finally give up. That he would take the hint and let me go.
But Jairus had never been good at accepting things that weren’t on his terms.
Another sharp bang echoed through the space, rattling the frame. “I know you’re in there! We need to talk, Vanessa. I swear, if you don’t open this door, I’ll-”
That was it.
I stormed toward the door and yanked it open so fast that Jairus nearly stumbled forward. He was disheveled. His normally pristine suit was slightly wrinkled. And his hair was messier than usual. His eyes were also wild with something I didn’t recognize.
“What the hell do you want?” I snapped, barely holding back my disgust.
His breathing was heavy. His chest rose and fell as if he had run all the way here. “I want you. I want you to stop this madness and come home.“>
A sharp and humorless laugh escaped me. “Home? You mean the place where you ignored me for years? Where you let your mistress prance around like she owned it? That home?“}
Jairus clenched his fists. “I made mistakes. I know that now. But we can fix this. You just need to stop being so damn stubborn.“}
I stepped closer, then tilted my head. “Fix it? Tell me, Jairus. Does Katie know you’re here? Does she know you’re groveling at my doorstep like a man who’s lost everything?”
His face twisted. A flicker of shame immediately crossed his features. “Katie is… she’s not-“}
“She’s not what?” I cut in sharply. “Not who you thought she was? Not the perfect little fantasy you convinced yourself would make you happy?”
His silence was answer enough.
I exhaled then shook my head. “You spent years throwing me aside for her. And now that you’re realizing what everyone else already knew, that she’s nothing more than a gold–digging opportunist, you come running back to me?“>
He grabbed my wrist suddenly. His grip was like iron. “You belong with me, Vanessa. You always have. I won’t let you go.“}
A cold chill shot through me. He’s lost it.
I wrenched my arm. But his grip only tightened. “Let. Me. Go.“}
“Not until you listen to me!” His voice cracked with desperation. And I could already feel his fingers digging into my skin. “I can’t lose you! You don’t understand, Vanessa, without you, I have nothing.”
“That’s not my problem!” I yelled as I struggled against him. “I don’t care what happens to you anymore, Jairus! Sign the damn divorce papers and leave me alone!“}
His breathing became ragged. His grip on me turned bruising. And then, before I could react, he shoved me backward and slammed me against the wall. The impact sent a sharp pain through my spine which knocked the breath from my lungs.}
Panic flared in my chest.”
This isn’t Jairus. This isn’t the man I once knew. This is something else. Something dangerous.
He loomed over me with his hands on either side of my shoulders, trapping me. “You’re mine, Vanessa. You always have been. You just need to remember that.“}
I struggled against him. Fury mixed with the fear now clawing its way up my throat. “If you don’t back off right now, I swear I’ll scream this whole building down!“”
His jaw tightened, but before he could say another word…
A blur of motion.
A force so strong that Jairus was ripped away from me, sent staggering backward before a sickening crack filled the air.”
A punch.
Jairus crashed against the floor. He groaned in pain as he clutched his jaw as blood trickled from his split lip.
I gasped. My vision snapped to the figure standing over him with fists clenched and chest rising and falling with unrestrained fury.”
Jared.”
His knuckles were red. And his entire body was taut with rage. His breathing was heavy like he was holding himself back from doing something far worse.
Jairus coughed, dazed, before looking up at him. “You-“}
“Stop touching my girlfriend.”
