I can see you

Chapter 14

(ROSY'S POV )

I was a certified chemist. I worked in a high-level research lab-clean, sterile, clinical. The kind of place where people wore white coats and spoke in exact terms, where formulas and compounds replaced emotions. But emotions still ran deep, even here. Especially here.

I took part-time jobs on the side, not for money, not for career growth, but for someone far more important. Edward. Every position I took was calculated, mapped, and timed so I could cross paths with him. Bump into him "by chance." Keep him within arm's reach. I built an entire life around these so-called coincidences.

I remembered the first time on the movie set when he looked at me and didn't see me. That hollow moment burned into me. I smiled but he didn't even blink. That's when I knew: attention had to be earned or taken.

What people didn't realize was that being a chemist wasn't just a job. It was power. I knew things the average person would never hear of. I could touch the invisible and control the uncontrollable. And that's exactly what I was doing now.

The drug I added to the water bottle was one I worked hard to obtain. I pulled strings, faked records, bent rules I had helped to write. It was rare and practically untraceable. Once it dissolved into water, it became colorless, odorless hence basically undetectable. Depending on the dosage, it could cause mild dizziness, unconsciousness, or, at higher concentrations... cognitive disruptions.

I prepared four bottles. Each dosed differently. Each labeled with a mark only I understood. subtle, almost invisible. Precision was everything. If anyone found out, I'd lose everything, my license, my job, my freedom. But love was worth the risk.

No, I didn't want to hurt Edward. Not permanently. That was never the point. But he brought this on himself. If he hadn't been out there, smiling at her, touching her hand, feeding her those lies, then I wouldn't be standing here now with this bottle in my hand. He was the one forcing me to do this.

But he was mine. And this? this was the start of his punishment.

Tomorrow, the plan would go into motion. Every detail had been rehearsed in my mind a thousand times. I knew where he'd be, who he'd be with, how long I'd have. I accounted for every variable. That was the beauty of science, it didn't leave room for uncertainty. Neither in the lab nor in life.

I did this not out of hate, but out of devotion. Because I knew he loved me. Somewhere deep inside, he knew it too. And if by some cruel twist he didn't?

Then starting tomorrow, I'd make sure he did. Because love wasn't always sweet. Sometimes it was surgical and sometimes it was chemical. And sometimes, it was the only experiment worth conducting.

And Edward? He was about to learn that chemistry never lied.

---

Something had been bothering me lately.

It always started around midnight. Footsteps outside my apartment door-slow, deliberate, like someone pacing. Then a thudding noise, soft at first, then firmer. Like someone testing the passcode lock. Trying to get in.

The first time it happened, I checked the building's security footage. The guard shrugged and told me the camera had been down for days. "Waiting on repairs," he said.

Since then, I'd been sleeping with a kitchen knife tucked under my pillow.

But none of that mattered now because today was the day.

The day I stopped watching and started doing. Everything I'd planned-the risks, the details, the contingencies-all came down to this one moment. And I knew full well that one misstep could land me in prison. Or worse, I could lose him.

But prison didn't scare me. Losing him did because he was my Achilles's heel.

So today, I would catch him. Claim him and finally mark him as mine. Forever. I drove to the set like it was just another ordinary shift. I slipped into my uniform and played my part. I stayed close to him, orbiting his space without drawing attention. And then, just as I predicted, the director called wrap for the day. Everyone scattered. Lights dimmed. The rush to leave began.

Perfect.

I moved toward him with calm, mechanical precision. My voice was flat, emotionless. My hat and mask covering my face. "Sir, thank you for your hard work. Here-water."

He took the bottle, just like I knew he would. Twisted the cap, raised it to his lips, and took a sip-a small one. Just a taste.

A few seconds later, his legs buckled and his body went slack.

I caught him and for a moment, time slowed. My arms wrapped around him, steadying him like a lover in an embrace. I looked around but no one was watching. Everyone was too busy packing up, too distracted to notice the quiet fall of one man.

Just like that, he was mine.

This wasn't what I wanted, not really. I wanted him to come to me on his own. But if the world wouldn't give me that, I'd take it anyway. I led him to the car and placed him gently in the back seat. I buckled him in with care. Then I kissed his forehead-soft, reverent-and slid into the driver's seat.

Before starting the engine, I adjusted the rearview mirror until his face filled the frame. There were dark circles beneath his eyes, tension in his brow, as if even unconscious, he was still haunted by something. Still running, maybe. His perfect lips were parted slightly and his breath steady. Too steady.

I whispered to the reflection, voice low and tender, "You look so sad when you sleep... like you're trapped in a bad dream. But don't worry, baby. You're safe now. You're with me."

I know what this looks like. But love doesn't always wear white. Sometimes it wears gloves. Sometimes it looks like abduction, but only to people who don't understand devotion.

I turned my eyes back to the road and began the drive toward the woods.

Our house was ready. Every drawer stocked with his favorite snacks. Every shirt in the closet his size. I even recreated the scent he wore, diffused in every room. Just like home. But better because no one could take him away from me now. Tucked deep in the forest, far from the noise of the world. Quiet, isolated, and ours. It was small, but warm like something out of a fairytale. Just him and me, wrapped in the stillness of the trees. No distractions. No strangers. No women with wandering hands.

And the best part?

He couldn't leave me here. He couldn't run.
He was mine now. Rest well, love. We had forever ahead of us. Forever isn't a promise. It's a sentence. And he just began serving his.