HOPELESS Bodygaurd

I sit across from her at the guest table, the tension between us thick as I look into her eyes, searching for something—an answer, a reason, anything that makes sense of what she’s done.

“Wasn’t one failure enough?” I ask, my voice low, trying to keep the frustration from boiling over. “Did you think that sleeping with him would be your way out? Do you realize how dangerous this could have been?”

"You could have ended up preg-"

I lean forward, my hands gripping the edge of the table, trying to control the mix of anger and worry coursing through me. “You’re smarter than this, or at least I thought you were. You put yourself at risk—again. For what? To get away from all of this, from your own home?”

I take a breath, hesitating before I voice the thought that’s been gnawing at me. “Or maybe it wasn’t just about getting out,” I say, my voice softening with a hint of something more vulnerable. “Was this your way of getting back at me because I turned you down? Did you think being with someone else would make me regret it?”

I watch her, waiting for a response, my heart pounding as I search her face for any sign of what’s going on in her head. “You’ve got to stop this,” I say, my voice quieter now, almost pleading. “You’re only putting yourself in more danger. And whether you like it or not, it’s my job to keep you safe—even if you’re doing everything you can to make that impossible.”

He leans back slightly, a subtle gentle smile on his face, though something is unsettling in his eyes.

“Just so you know,” he says in a calm, almost gentle tone, “I killed him—the man you seduced. But don’t worry, he won’t be a problem anymore.”