𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞

𝟏𝟔 | 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬?

Micheal

               Silence enveloped the car as I navigated through the congested New York traffic. My knuckles turned white from gripping the steering wheel tightly, while my free hand rubbed my jaw in a restless gesture of impatience.

I had lost the patience I needed to avoid violence for the greater good a long time ago; it was evident that everyone was starting to take my restraint for granted. My chest burned with a fire I hadn't felt since before my time in prison, a fierce intensity that threatened to consume me. Killing the Westons was part of my plans, but I intended to postpone it until later—specifically, after Edmund was voted out of office when it would attract less attention. I sold drugs to his son, and one night, while finalizing a deal, his father showed up with the police—that's how I ended up getting arrested. In other words, I owed both of them in the worst way imaginable, and I intended to get back at them in kind. But now it was beyond them getting me arrested, and my anger ran even deeper.

The thought of Ryan Weston wanting Antoinette for marriage replayed in my mind, fueling a wave of anger. I sensed he was plotting something, but I never imagined he would actually try to act on it. Now that he had gone out of his way to try to force Annie into a marriage, I had to deal with him, and I didn't give a damn about the consequences. I doubted Andrew would even entertain the offer, but the mere fact that another man wanted her for himself made something violent spread through my veins. It was absurd that Ryan even believed he was good enough for Annie. I wanted to shield Antoinette from the peculiar entanglements that the Westons were involved in. The things I'd heard they did to women were twisted, and I'm going to kill them before the idea of treating Annie that way ever crossed their minds. My anger deepened as I realized that Ryan had likely already envisioned doing those twisted things to Annie.

Truthfully, the thought of Annie being married to another man stirred a wave of anger within me. I'm certain that even without the Westons giving me a reason to harm them, my reaction would still be the same. I was starting to grasp my feelings for Annie more clearly, beginning to accept that I wanted her—not just as a friend, but in a way that was far deeper...I wanted her for myself.

No matter how hard I tried to distance myself from my feelings for Annie, I couldn't escape her. She was everywhere I went—in the morning when I woke up, throughout my day, and as I lay awake at night. I had never felt these emotions before. I'd never had the urge to set my selfish desires aside, nor had I felt the spark to express my feelings and seek improvement. I certainly had never felt guilty about my drug use. Every moment I spent with Annie intensified my desire to become the man she envisioned for herself. I wanted to embody her fantasies, to be the ideal man she read about, the one she now imagined herself wanting to be with.

And I was starting to ignore anyone who objected to our association; at this point, they could get killed too.

As we pulled into the familiar driveway of the garage, I quickly turned off the engine and got out of the car. This place was my sanctuary—a spot for making deals, working on my cars and motorcycles, and releasing tension with the punching bag. Occasionally, Danny and Tommy would drop by, but most of the time, it was just me.

I pressed a button on my phone, and the garage door started to open. For a brief moment, I glanced over at Annie and noticed her eyes locked on my device. When I caught her staring, she quickly looked away and focused straight ahead, wrapping her arms around herself.

"How did you find out your brother was talking to Governor Weston?" I asked as we entered the garage, guiding Annie toward the seating area around the TV.

She admitted, "I just used my context clues." When Annie came upstairs, it was clear she was troubled by the idea of marrying Ryan—maybe not as much as I was, but she was definitely affected.