Manipulation
Cade
I couldn’t stay up there any longer with her. I had to get away. I wasn’t going to force her into anything. But I couldn’t stop thinking about her, about everything that was happening. I couldn’t let her slip away. I couldn’t let her choose him.
Back in my cabin, I paced back and forth like a damn animal in a cage. The walls felt like they were closing in, and all the time I spent here was only making it worse. I kept thinking about Aviana, about how lost she was. I couldn’t let her keep searching for answers in the wrong places. I had to help her put herself back together. I failed Izabella, but I wasn’t going to fail Aviana. She just didn’t see it yet. She was too caught up in whatever fantasy she had about him, and it made my blood boil.
Ryan. She thinks she needs him. She thinks she wants him. I tried to tell myself maybe I was just a guide for her, that I could let her go, let her be with him, but deep down I knew that wasn’t going to happen. She had to be mine. She had to see what was right in front of her. He was dangerous. I was the only one who could protect her, protect her from all her nightmares—including him.
I stepped out of the cabin, the cool wind hitting my face. Each step was heavy, each one dragging me toward my office. When I walked in, I slammed the door shut, barely remembering to turn on the lights. My hands were shaking, and I clenched my fists, trying to calm myself down. I was so close—so close to making her see.
I picked up the phone, my fingers trembling as I dialed the cabin she was staying in. The phone rang in my ear, and I tried to steady my breath. I couldn’t waste any more time. She had to see it. She had to understand.
When she picked up, I kept my voice as calm as I could. “Aviana,” I said, my heart hammering in my chest. “I’m sorry about earlier. Can you come to my office? It’s important. I need to clear you from the camp. Tomorrow is the last day.”
She hesitated. I could hear it in the silence before she spoke. “I’m busy,” she said quietly. “It’s getting late, Cade. Can’t we do this tomorrow?”
I gritted my teeth. “Just a quick session, Aviana. I have to clear you. Otherwise, I’ll have to register you for another retreat—or worse.”
There was another pause, and then she finally asked, “Or what?”
I had to come up with something to get her here. “Or I’ll have to refer you to Serenity Peaks Asylum.”
“You wouldn’t,” she said immediately. “Okay, I’ll come.”
“Avi,” I said, my voice softer, trying to keep her from changing her mind. “Please make sure it’s just you.”
I waited, pacing the room, each second dragging on. I grabbed her file and sat at my desk, trying to focus, but all I could think about was her.
When she finally walked through the door, I stood up. She was different, her shoulders slumped, her eyes heavy with exhaustion.
“Aviana,” I said, keeping my voice steady, controlled. “Come sit. We need to talk.”
She didn’t move. Her eyes flicked toward the couch, but she stayed rooted in place, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. She was on edge, guarded—like she expected me to hurt her. That wasn’t what this was. I was trying to save her.
I reached for her hand, but she jerked away, stepping back as though my touch burned her.
“Cade, I can’t do this,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “Please. I can’t. ”
My jaw clenched. She was scared. Not of me—but of the truth. I had to make her see it.
I took a careful step closer. “Aviana, listen to me,” I said, my voice low with urgency. “Ryan is only hurting you, and you’re letting him. You think you need him, but you’re not seeing it for what it really is.”
Her breath hitched, something flickering behind her eyes. Doubt. Uncertainty. She was listening.
“What do you mean?” she whispered.
I exhaled slowly. I needed her to hear this. To understand . “Ryan’s not just a bad choice, Aviana. He’s a reminder of everything you went through with Liam. He’s just like him. He manipulates you, controls you, makes you think he’s the only one who can save you. But it’s a lie. He already told you how broken you are. Told you he doesn’t want someone like you. He’s just another version of the torture you’ve been through, and you don’t deserve it.”
Her eyes widened, the fear flashing before she shook her head violently. “No, Cade. No. Ryan is different. He’s been here for me. He’s the only one who—”
I cut her off. “Not in the right way. He’s using you. He’s feeding off your pain. He’s making you feel small and weak, like you can’t survive without him. He’s tearing you apart, Aviana. And you’re letting him.”
“No,” she snapped, her voice rising, her body going rigid. “You’re wrong. He’s showing me how to take control of my life. How to not feel weak anymore.”
She was shaking, hands curled into fists at her sides. I could feel the rage radiating off her, but I wasn’t about to back down.
“I’m not trying to hurt you,” I said, my voice softer now. “I want to help you break free from the lies. Ryan is just another version of the hell you went through with Liam. You don’t deserve it. You don’t deserve to keep living in that darkness.”
Her breathing was unsteady, her walls crumbling. She wanted to believe me. I reached for her again, my fingers grazing hers .
“You can trust me,” I said. “I’ll never let you fall again. I promise.”
She hesitated. Just for a second. Just long enough for me to make my move.
I cupped her face, brushing a strand of hair from her cheek, and before she could push me away, I kissed her.
For a moment, she froze, her breath catching. I felt the way her body tensed under my hands, the way her fingers curled against my shirt. She felt this—I knew she did.
But then, she fought.
Her hands shoved against my chest, hard. Hard enough to make me stumble back a step.
“Stop, Cade!” she gasped, her voice shaking with something far worse than anger. Fear.
But I couldn’t stop. I needed her to see—to feel this, to understand that I was the one who could pull her out of the darkness.
I stepped forward again, but she didn’t hesitate this time.
She hit me.
Not a weak shove, not a desperate plea—but a punch. Her fist connected with my jaw, white-hot pain exploding through my skull as I staggered back.
I barely had time to react before she drove her knee up into my stomach, knocking the wind from my lungs.
I gritted my teeth, regaining my balance, but she was already retreating, her chest heaving, her eyes burning with something I hadn’t seen before.
Power.
“You don’t get to decide what’s best for me,” she growled, her voice shaking with fury.
I wiped at my mouth, tasting blood.
“Aviana—”
“No,” she snapped. “You don’t get to tell me who I love. You don’t get to tell me what I need. I know what you’re trying to do, Cade. You think you can control me. But I’m done letting men like you make my choices for me. ”
Her words landed like a blow.
But then, the door slammed open.
Ryan. His presence filled the room, fury radiating off him like a storm. His eyes locked onto mine, cold and full of hatred.
“Cade,” he growled, his voice low, but deadly. “I told you to stay away from her.”
I didn’t flinch, didn’t back down. “I’m not the one hurting her, Ryan,” I said, trying to keep calm. “She doesn’t need you. She needs someone who won’t drag her into a bigger mess.”
“You don’t know anything about her,” Ryan spat, his fists tightening. “You think you’re better than me? You think you can fix everything?”
I could feel my blood boil. “I’m not here to compete with you. I’m here to help her. You’re the one holding her back.”
Ryan’s jaw clenched, and I could see the anger building. He wasn’t going to let this go.
“You don’t know what it’s like to be there for her,” Ryan said, his voice low. “You think you can save her? You think you’re the better choice? You’re just another manipulator, trying to worm your way in.”
I was done talking.
Before I could react, he lunged at me, shoving me with a force that slammed me against the wall. The air rushed out of my lungs as I hit it hard. I didn’t hesitate, though. I pushed him back, but he came at me again, his fists flying.
We fought. Fists, kicks, pain—everything blurred as we tumbled across the room. I barely registered Aviana shouting at us, begging us to stop. But we didn’t.
His fist connected with my ribs, and I staggered back, gasping for air. I wiped the blood from my lip, trying to focus.
“This isn’t helping her, Ryan,” I spat. “She’s seeing you for who you really are. The monster you—”
He cut me off, his fist landing in my stomach. I collapsed, gasping.
“Shut up,” he snarled, his fists coming faster. Every blow landed harder than the last, and I knew I was losing.
But all I could think of was her.
Then, before I could do anything else, Ryan grabbed me by the throat, lifting me off the ground.
“You’re not going to get her, Cade,” he said, his grip tightening.
I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t see anything except the madness in his eyes.
“You’re wrong,” I whispered, but my voice was barely there. “She doesn’t need you. She needs someone who cares for her.”
Ryan’s eyes flared, and I felt the life draining from me.
The darkness took over.
And I knew I had failed.