Her Obsession

Prologue

The moment I walked out of that meeting, I knew I could not wait any longer. I had to see her. The unfinished conversation between us hung in the air like smoke from a burning building-thick, suffocating, inescapable. There was a fire in my chest, a hunger so deep that it clawed at my insides. I needed her-needed her in my arms, needed her beneath my skin. It had been too long. And after everything I learned about her past, after all the demons that had plagued her for years, I swore that I would never let her slip through my fingers again.

She had borne the weight of our memories alone for so long. All that pain... all those scars. She had carried them in silence, protecting me while I had not even known I needed it. But now? Now it was my turn. I would protect her-shield her from the darkness that had once consumed her. I would annihilate anyone who dared touch her again, even if that person were me. And if I ever became the source of her tears? I would tear myself apart before letting her shed another drop.

What I felt for her-it was more than love. It was a rage, it was possession, it was obsession. It was a tidal wave of emotions that I could not pinpoint, but I knew they had always been there, simmering beneath the surface. And now that I was five miles from her, it felt like a million miles, the distance stretching out infinitely. I could barely stand it.

As I drove through her sprawling estate, a strange pride surged in my chest. She had built this empire. But it was not for herself. No, it was for those who had betrayed her, who had let her down. My teeth clenched. Today, I would not hesitate. Anyone who stood in my way would be a dead man.

The mansion loomed before me; its grand doors guarded by none other than Josh. That prick. I hated him the first moment I laid eyes on him. But for her sake, I had swallowed it down. He was like a brother to her, though every instinct in my body screamed otherwise.

"Mr. Jeon," Josh greeted me, a smug grin curling his lips. "Fancy seeing you here."

God, how I wanted to put a bullet right between his eyes. The only thing that stopped me was the thought of her mourning him. But a little warning shot? That would not hurt. Before he could finish his sentence, I aimed and fired at his arm. The smirk vanished, replaced by a scream of pain as blood gushed from the wound. I was wasting precious time dealing with him, time that could have been spent with her.

I strode past Josh, his voice a distant echo as he called for the guards. Big mistake. They rushed me, but it was like swatting away flies. Each one fell until there was nothing between me and the door. Just as I reached for the handle, something heavy slammed into the back of my head, warm blood trickling down my face. She hated blood, I knew that, but I was not about to stop now. Nothing would keep me from her.

I shoved the door open, and there she was.

And I could finally breathe again.

She stood in the center of the living room, and the sight of her hit me like a freight train. Her eyes-red and swollen from tears. Her skin, pale as death. She looked thinner than the last time I saw her, like she had been slowly wasting away. My heart twisted in my chest, an ache deeper than anything physical. She was my angel, my salvation, and yet she was breaking right before me.

Then I saw the gun in her hand.

She raised it, and I barely registered the shot until I felt a searing pain in my arm. The bullet grazed me but struck Josh behind me. He stumbled back with a groan, clutching his chest.

Her voice cut through the chaos, raw and filled with venom. "He is mine. Mine to kill. Mine to torture. Mine to hate. HE. IS. MINE."

Her grip on the gun faltered, her strength waning as she stood over Josh. I stepped closer, my eyes never leaving her. Her breath came in ragged gasps, and I could see the war raging inside her-anger, betrayal, love. She was exhausted.

I ignored Josh's whimpering on the floor, my entire world narrowing to her. Slowly, I took the gun from her shaking hands. The moment our skin touched, she collapsed against me, her body trembling with the force of her sobs. Her fingers fisted my shirt like she was afraid I would vanish if she let go. I tightened my hold on her, the warmth of her body against mine the only thing grounding me to this moment.

Her tears soaked through my shirt, and it felt like a privilege, being the only one allowed to witness this part of her. When the walls she built came crumbling down, she let me see the raw, vulnerable side of her no one else could. She was more real to me than my own heartbeat. And as I held her, I knew that no matter what happened next, she would never face her demons alone again.

Not while I was still breathing.