MUTUAL FIXATION || WINRINA

CHAPTER 13

Karina's Point of View

"I am capable of taking a life, Mom."

A smirk danced on my lips as I watched the look of fear-stricken dismay on her face. Yeah, I was in my element in this power dynamic.

Yes, Mother, tremble at your daughter's darkness. Feel the blood course through you from the fear.

It was a step back from her, a turn of my back, and a leisurely stroll to the swivel chair that marked deliberate steps on my part.

Seated with my legs crossed and my arms folded, I watched fear and disgust paint her features.

A wild, unhinged peal of laughter filled the room.

"What now, Mother?" I chuckled. "Will you shut me up?" I goaded her, my sarcasm hanging in the air like a lead balloon.

Her eyes turned cold.

"Would you end me as you did to my father?" I challenged, my words heavy in the air.

The color drained from her face even further into fear etched in her eyes.

My jaw was clenched as I continued, "Yes, driven by my obsession with my stepsister, but what of you?" I pressed. "The only disparity between us lies in your act of ending my father. You sacrificed him for power," I accused.

I got to my feet before her. My words hung heavy as boulders in the air.

"What would my father's family do to you if they ever got to know your darkest secret?" I asked, and fear darted into her eyes.

"What of Winter's father? What would he do to you upon the revelation of your treachery?" I further went on to dig up her deceitful acts.

Enough of your madness, Mother.

You are drunk with power.

You are drunk with fame. With money.

You are no longer the mother I looked up to.

"You're crazy," I said. "You are like the devil, Mom."

Her eyes strayed away from my burning glaze.

"You are heartless, and you can't blame me If I became like this," I said. "You cannot stop the madness that consumes me. No one can. Not you. Not her father. Not Winter. Not even me," I said.

"Karina, please." Her softened pleading at my resolve.

Shaking my head, I rebuffed her entreaty. "You are unaware of the extent to which I wrestled with this, Mom," I let out. "You are ignorant of my struggles to resist her allure," I confessed.

"I will do whatever it takes to end this," she implored.

I turned away.

Even in her moment of vulnerability, I couldn't bear to meet her gaze, to witness her plea.

I exhaled, and she took my hands in hers; this time, her touch was trembling unlike her usual character.

"I'm begging you, dear," she implored again, cupping my cheeks to make me face her. "I only want what's good for you," she added.

I brushed her hands roughly from my face and stepped back, a chill entering my eyes.

"You wants what is good for me?" I said, my eyes cold, icy. "You don't even know what I like, and what I don't like. You don't know what I am allergic to." I said. "You don't know what's best for me, Mom." I repeated.

She bowed her head, her shoulders shaking, and whispered, "I'm sorry."

"Your apologies don't have a say in this," I snapped back at her. "If you think that I'm going to let you off the hook, then you're wrong," I whispered.

No.

Do not look for forgiveness, Mother.

I will not hide the way I feel for Winter.

And I won't curb this insanity.

Winter is mine.

"Karina, are you not ashamed?" she asked out of the blue then.

I looked at her incredulously.

"Shame?" I scoffed. "Between us, Mom, the shame should rest upon your shoulders," I said. "I have no shame for my actions. I am deeply in love with Winter, and I shall not give up this pursuit," I stated.

She shook her head. "You are unhinged."

A smirk graced my lips. "I know."

I walk towards her, my voice sounding out the question. "But are you? Are you aware of your own madness, Mom?" I asked, slightly sarcastically.

A tempest brewed inside me, one going to consume my sanity if I didn't set a course. The burning desire for justice to be done unto my father simmered just beneath the surface, fueling my resolve.

Tears welled up to the brim, silently testifying to the raging storm within.

"You can't stop me now, not when she's beginning to yield to my influence," I declared, and the weight of my words hung there. "I'll do whatever it takes to keep her by my side," I stated with all of a resolution into which I put every ounce of fervor and never yielded.

The thought of killing, ending her life with my own hands, would just not go away from my brain.

But at the same time, I wouldn't let myself cave into the darkness and continued the negation of joining the ranks of the killers.

Unspoken words by my mother clutched at my heart as her eyes pleaded with me to stop all this mayhem.

"Just stop this craziness," her voice whispered.

I shook my head to meet her gaze with strong-headed determination.

"Stop begging, Mother. You are helpless," I said and turned out of the room, giving her a final glance with my eyes that were full of condemnation.

"I want you behind the bars, Mom."

I went down the stairs, my steps poised and light—no hint of the whirlwind churning inside as I disregarded the maids' attentive eyes; whispers faded into the background as I left the house, trailing unfinished emotions behind.

Sliding into my car, the gates of emotion burst open, and my cheeks were washed with tears in a torrent of anguish.

"Damn it!" I exclaimed, my frustration pitted against the steering wheel.

I laid my head against the steering wheel, holding it there for a moment to calm the tempest inside of me before cranking up the ignition.

I sent the last look toward the house as I pulled away to hit the road and soon found myself besieged by whirling thoughts of mixed emotions, surrounded by uncertainty.

I just kept driving, lost inside the maze of my head, and the road unraveled before me, much like an unsure path through the storm of my emotions.