"Sit," Vincent said, his voice quieter this time.

Hazel hesitated for a second before obeying, settling beside him on the bed. The weight of unspoken words hung between them like an invisible thread.

Vincent exhaled deeply, his gaze fixed ahead. "Chris told me he loves you."

Hazel's brows furrowed, her heart clenching at the mention of his name. "He doesn’t," she said firmly, shaking her head. "That’s not love."

"I know," Vincent agreed, his voice laced with quiet certainty. He turned to face her, his jaw tightening. "He’s not in love with you, Hazel. He’s obsessed with you."

She swallowed hard, dread creeping into her chest.

"I saw it," he continued. "In every single word he said yesterday. The way he spoke about you—it wasn’t love, Hazel. It was possession. Control."

Hazel’s breath hitched. "What… what exactly did he say?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Vincent rubbed a hand over his face, recalling the conversation. "First, he told me to confront you about my lie," he admitted. "He wanted me to tell you the truth, thinking that once you found out, you’d hate me."

Hazel's eyes widened in shock. "Hate you?" she repeated. "I would never, Vincent! Instead, I feel… relieved. You don’t know how much weight has been lifted off my heart knowing you’re safe."

Vincent's eyes softened for a moment, but his expression turned serious again. "Chris doesn’t see it that way," he murmured. "He thought my lie would push you away from me. That I’d lose you."

Hazel’s hands clenched into fists. "And what else did he say?" she pressed, needing to hear it all.

Vincent hesitated, debating whether to shield her from the worst of it. But she deserved the truth.

...

Flashback

"Tell her," Chris said, his voice low and deliberate.

Vincent frowned. "Tell her what?"

Chris met his eyes, unwavering. "Tell her the truth. Tell her this is all a drama."

Vincent parted his lips to speak, confusion flashing across his face, but before he could say a word, Chris cut him off.

"End this, Vincent. I can't tolerate it anymore," Chris said, his voice laced with frustration, but beneath it was something darker—possessiveness.

Vincent’s jaw clenched. "And why can’t you tolerate it?"

Chris exhaled sharply, stepping closer. "Because she is mine," he said, his voice calm yet terrifying. "And I can’t stand her being close to anyone else but me."

Vincent narrowed his eyes. "Does she love you?"

Chris didn’t even hesitate. "No. Not yet," he said with certainty. "But she will."

"She will?" Vincent repeated, a bitter chuckle escaping his lips.

"How are you so sure?" Vincent  asked.

"Because she has no choice against my love for her. No choice will stand," Chris said, his tone unwavering, as if he truly believed it to be an undeniable truth.

"That’s not love, Chris. That’s obsession."

Chris smirked. "Love. Obsession. Call it whatever you want. She has no choice. She will love me, and only me."

Vincent took a step forward, his gaze darkening. "You can’t force someone to love you."

Chris tilted his head, a mocking glint in his eyes. "And what about you, Vincent? This plan of yours—isn’t it the same? Manipulating her emotions, making her believe something that isn’t real?"

Vincent’s fists clenched. "I did this because she loves me. She just doesn’t want to admit it."

Chris let out a sharp laugh. "You really believe that, don’t you? But I see it differently. She’s easy to manipulate, Vincent. If you keep doing this, it’s only a matter of time before she assumes the care she shows you is love. Maybe you’ve already twisted her emotions more than you realize."

Vincent’s blood boiled. "You must have manipulated her. That’s why you sound so damn confident."

Chris stepped even closer, his voice dropping into something more sinister.

"Yeah, I did, and I will do it again. Not because I can't make her mine any other way, but because this is easier," Chris said, his voice laced with a dark certainty.

A chilling smirk tugged at his lips. "She won't like the other way I could use to make her mine," he added, his tone dangerously low. "But if she forces my hand… she’ll leave me no choice."

Vincent’s fists curled at his sides. "And what exactly is this 'other way' you keep talking about?"

Chris chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "You don’t want to know, Vincent. Let's just say… I’ve been patient with her. I’ve given her time. But patience has limits."

Vincent’s jaw clenched. "You think forcing someone into love is the same as them actually loving you?"

Chris took a slow step closer, his eyes gleaming with something sinister. "Love?" he scoffed. " She is meant to be mine. Whether she loves me now or later is irrelevant. She'll learn."

Vincent let out a bitter laugh. "You sound delusional. Hazel isn't something to be owned."

Chris tilted his head, studying Vincent like he was missing the obvious. " She’s fragile, easy to mold. She already bends to your care. The same will happen with me—she just doesn’t realize it yet."

Vincent’s expression darkened, his voice steady but sharp. "If she ever accepts me, it’ll be because she truly loves me. Not because I forced her."

Chris's eyes gleamed with amusement. "Then tell her the truth. Tell her you lied. And we’ll see."

Vincent inhaled sharply. "Suppose I do. Suppose she hates me for it. What makes you think she’ll ever choose you?"

Chris’s smirk widened into something sinister. "Because once you’re out of the picture, I’ll be the only one left in her life. I’ll make sure of it. She will  be mine , just like  it's destined "

Vincent’s jaw tightened. "You don’t get to decide what’s destined for her."

Chris’s expression darkened, the amusement vanishing. "I am the only one who decides. You need to back off , Vincent " he warned.

"Or what? What will you do, Chris ?" Vincent asked .

Chris's voice now a whisper, chilling and sharp. "Let me make this simple. Either you leave her life willingly… or I’ll make you. And trust me, whatever Hazel suffers after that? It’ll be because of you."

Vincent’s stomach twisted, his fingers curling into fists.

Chris smiled. "Because letting her go was never a choice."

End of Flashback

...

"He told me… that you belong to him." His voice dropped lower, filled with quiet fury. "That no matter what happens, you’ll always come back to him. He said he’s the only one who truly understands you, the only one who can give you what you need."

Hazel’s stomach twisted in disgust.

"And when I told him he was delusional?" Vincent continued, his fists tightening. "He laughed. Said I wouldn’t understand, because you and he are ‘meant to be.’"

Hazel felt sick. Her pulse pounded in her ears, her breathing unsteady.

"He’s not going to stop, Hazel," Vincent said, his voice gentler now, but firm. "He’s convinced you’re his. And I don’t trust what he might do next."

Hazel swallowed, her hands trembling slightly as she reached for Vincent’s. He immediately clasped them, his warmth grounding her.

"I'm scared," she admitted, her voice barely audible.

Vincent squeezed her hands tightly. "You don’t have to be," he promised. "Not as long as I’m here."

***

Chris sat in his office, his eyes fixed on the laptop screen. Hazel’s picture filled the display, her soft smile captured in a moment of innocence. He didn’t blink, didn’t move—just stared, drinking in every detail of her face as if memorizing it all over again.

Vincent better tell her the truth today.

His fingers tapped lightly against the desk, a slow, calculated rhythm. His jaw clenched. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, still watching her.

You better back off from him, Hazel. Once you learn the truth, walk away—because if you don’t…

His eyes darkened, his grip tightening into a fist.

I might end up doing something all three of us will regret.

His lips curled into a smirk, but there was no amusement in his expression—only possession, only the madness that had been growing inside him for far too long. Hazel was his. She just didn’t realize it yet.

Author note :  Comment your thoughts on this story so far. Do you find my stories uninteresting, or is there another reason why I’m not getting any comments? Who do you want Hazel to end up with—Chris or Vincent?