The Email [Yandere Boss x Reader]

Chapter 29 - Home Away From Home

I walked slowly back to our room, each step feeling heavier than the last. My brief respite in the lobby hadn't eased the anxiety gnawing at my insides. If anything, being surrounded by people who seemed blissfully unaware of my predicament only made me feel more isolated.

I can't keep this up.

Something has to give.

I reached our floor and hesitated outside the door to my room, my heart pounding. I could hear the faint sound of music playing inside. Taking a deep breath, I pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The suite was bathed in the warm glow of the evening, and Hayes was seated at the small dining table, a bottle of wine and two glasses set before him. 

He looked up as I entered, his expression calm and welcoming.

"There you are," he said with a smile. "I thought you could use a drink to relax."

Relax?

How can he be so calm after everything?

I didn't move, just stared at him, the scene from the bar replaying in my mind. Hayes stood up, pouring a glass of wine and bringing it over to me. He held it out, his eyes searching mine.

"Are you alright?" he asked softly.

Alright? 

I just saw you stab a man.

The floodgates opened. I slapped the glass out of his hand, the wine splattering across the floor. 

"I JUST SAW YOU KILL SOMEONE! WHY WOULD I BE OK?"

Hayes didn't flinch. He calmly set the bottle down and looked at me, his expression unchanging. 

"I understand you're upset," he said, his voice infuriatingly even. "But you need to calm down."

Calm down?

After what he did?

"I can't believe you!" I shouted, backing away from him. "How can you act like nothing happened? Like it's just another day?"

Hayes sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I didn't want to frighten you. I did what I had to do to protect you."

"Protect me? By stabbing someone? Do you even hear yourself?" I was shaking, my hands clenched into fists. "You could have killed him!"

Hayes took a step toward me, his eyes intense. "And I would do it again if it meant keeping you safe. He was a threat."

He's delusional.

This is insane.

"No, Hayes. He was just a guy trying to flirt. He wasn't a threat." I felt tears stinging my eyes, the fear and confusion overwhelming. "You can't just go around hurting people."

He reached out, but I recoiled. 

"Please, just listen," he pleaded. "I love you. Everything I do, I do for us. For our future."

How can he say that?

How can he believe that?

I shook my head, the room spinning. 

"This isn't love, Hayes. This is... I don't even know what this is. But it's not right."

Hayes's face softened, a look of hurt flashing in his eyes. 

"I know it's a lot to take in. But I need you to trust me. Trust that I will always protect you, no matter what."

How can I trust him now?

How can I stay with him?

"I need some air," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I need to think."

He didn't try to stop me as I turned and fled from the room, the walls closing in on me. I stumbled into the hallway, gasping for breath, the weight of the situation pressing down on me.

What do I do now?

How do I move forward from this?

I found myself in the stairwell, sinking to the floor as sobs wracked my body. I felt trapped, caught between the man I loved and the terrifying reality of what he had done. The future I had envisioned with Hayes seemed to crumble before my eyes, replaced by a dark and uncertain path.

How do I find my way out of this?

I stayed there for what felt like hours, the turmoil inside me raging. Eventually, I knew I had to go back. I had to face Hayes, confront the reality of our situation. 

But as I made my way back to our suite, I knew that things would never be the same.

Can I forgive him?

Can I live with this?

Only time would tell. But for now, all I could do was take it one step at a time, hoping to find some semblance of clarity in the midst of the chaos.