Driven to Obsession

Chapter 17: The Edge

The following days were a blur of anxiety and fear, Olivia's mind constantly haunted by Mark's words and the doubts they had planted. She had barely slept, the weight of everything pressing down on her, making it hard to breathe, let alone think clearly. She knew she couldn't keep going like this, knew she needed to confront Sam, but the fear of what she might uncover kept her frozen in place.

On the third day, as she was locking up the shop late at night, she received another message from Sam.

*I need to see you. It's important.*

Her heart pounded as she stared at the screen, the conflicting emotions warring within her. Part of her wanted to ignore the message, to keep the distance between them until she had sorted through her thoughts. But another part of her—stronger, more insistent—needed to see him, needed to know the truth.

With trembling hands, she typed a reply.

*Where?*

His response was immediate.

*My place. Now.*

Taking a deep breath, Olivia slipped her phone into her pocket and headed for her car. The drive to Sam's apartment was filled with a growing sense of dread, the night pressing in on her as she tried to steady her nerves. She didn't know what she was walking into, didn't know what to expect, but she knew that this confrontation was inevitable. There was no turning back now.

When she arrived at Sam's building, the usual sense of warmth and comfort she felt was absent, replaced by a cold, creeping fear. She hesitated at the entrance, her hand hovering over the door handle as her mind raced with all the possibilities of what lay ahead. But before she could talk herself out of it, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

The elevator ride to Sam's penthouse felt like it took an eternity, each floor that passed by only adding to her anxiety. By the time the doors opened, her heart was pounding in her chest, her palms slick with sweat. She stepped out into the hallway, the silence around her heavy and oppressive.

Sam was waiting for her at the door, his expression unreadable as he watched her approach. For a moment, neither of them spoke, the tension between them thick enough to cut with a knife.

"Olivia," he said finally, his voice low and strained.

"Sam," she replied, her voice trembling slightly.

He stepped aside to let her in, closing the door behind them with a soft click. The atmosphere in the apartment was tense, the air thick with unspoken words and unresolved emotions. Olivia's eyes darted around the room, her senses on high alert, but nothing seemed out of place. Everything was as it had always been—except for the heavy weight that hung between them.

"We need to talk," Sam said, breaking the silence as he gestured for her to sit on the couch.

"I know," Olivia replied, moving to the couch but remaining standing, her arms crossed defensively over her chest.

Sam took a deep breath, running a hand through his hair as he paced in front of her. "There's something I need to tell you, something I should have told you a long time ago."

The dread that had been gnawing at her intensified, her mind flashing back to Mark's words, to the threats he had made. "What is it, Sam?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

He stopped pacing, turning to face her, his expression a mix of determination and regret. "It's about my past—about the things I've done, the people I've been involved with. I've been trying to protect you from it, trying to keep you safe, but I realize now that I can't keep hiding it from you."