CHAPTER 44
FRANKIE
∞
Alex looks like a mess. His eyes are bloodshot, and his cheeks are stained with tears. He drops his gaze from mine and sniffles quietly.
They were taking a while and my plan was just to make sure everything was okay between them, but as soon as I went to open the door, I heard Alex yelling at Wren. I heard everything. Wren’s decision is shattering Alex, and I can’t blame him. Wren is everything to him. He’s his creator and longtime friend, and Wren is still willing to throw that away.
I think his judgment is clouded. Seeing the change in his attitude and mannerisms has me questioning how much he actually wants this for himself and how much of it is being caused by the insanity settling in.
I won’t allow it.
I’m not letting him throw his life away if he’s not clear-headed and one hundred percent sure. I don’t want him throwing his life away at all, but I won’t be able to stop him if he doesn’t allow me to help him.
“Chess…how much did you hear?”
Wren asks quietly. His expression is guarded as he watches me pull myself up from the floor.
“I heard enough, Wren.”
“That was a private conversation.”
I can see him try to put up his shields as he stands in front of me, clenching his hands into fists.
“Really? Pretty sure I heard my name a few times in there, so I think if you’re going to talk about me, you can say whatever it is to my face.”
“Chess---”
“No. I changed my mind. I’m not letting you do this,”
I hiss out, stepping towards him and poking him in the chest. “You’re hurting him, Wren. You’re crushing one of the only people that actually gives a shit about you. Alex is right, you’re being selfish and for no reason.”
“It’s not your problem,” he sighs.
“It is my problem. I fucking care about you, Wren. I haven’t known you as long as Alex, but your presence in my life fucking means something to me. Don’t fucking do this…please, let me help you.”
“I said no, Chess. How many times do I have to fucking say it?”
“It’s not you talking! I know this isn’t you…deep down, I know you don’t actually want to leave him behind. Your thoughts are being manipulated, Wren, and you don’t even see it. I think the insanity has taken root further than you even realize. Suicidal thoughts could very well be one of the symptoms. If you just did a bloodletting once, you would see that I’m right.”
His brows furrow and his jaw twitches as he stares at me. I know I’m pushing him right now, but I don’t have a choice. I need him to see reason before he disappears right in front of us and Alex breaks.
“I refuse to feed a blood whore, Chess,”
he says through gritted teeth.
I take a deep breath and glare at him. “I already told you I would help you. This isn’t the same as before, Wren. I’m not being forced to do this…I want to help you. Please, just let me help you like you’ve helped me.”
“Please, Wren,”
Alex says quietly behind him. “Please, just listen to her.”
I can see his barrier slowly crumbling in front of me. Alex’s pleas are getting to him. I know he doesn’t want to hurt him like this. He made Alex completely break in front of him. He destroyed his heart by saying he rather die than do a bloodletting.
“You’re not going to let this go either, are you?”
He groans.
“No,”
I say bluntly. “I’m not okay with only getting what little time you have left. I want to see the real you, Wren. Not this shell of a man in front of me.”
His eyes widen and his nostrils flare. “I’m exactly the same person,”
he growls out, stepping towards me.
“That’s a lie and you know it. Your energy is so focused on controlling your actions and keeping the insanity at bay, that I have no idea who you really are.”
“That’s not fair and you know it. I’ve shown you exactly who I am. I’ve shown you how much I care about you. I dropped to my knees for you!”
He roars. Alex chokes out a breath and his eyes dart to mine as confusion overtakes his features.
“I feel like all of that was just an act for you to win me over. How can I be sure that you’re not just manipulating me because your mind is so fucked up it can’t differentiate reality from insanity.”
The look of hurt that settles onto his face has me regretting saying those words. I know what we did was real. I know his words weren’t a lie, but I’ll do everything I can right now to allow me to do this for him…even if that means hurting him in the process.
“You can’t possibly believe that all that’s happened between us, was a lie. I never lied to you about how I feel, Chess. Why are you being hurtful?”
“Sucks, doesn’t it? Being hurt by someone who you care about…and someone that cares about you in turn. This feeling in your heart right now, that’s what Alex and I feel. The feeling of betrayal.”
“You’re trying to trap me,”
he grits out. I see a flicker of black cross his irises and my stomach drops.
“Just leave, Wren.”
My heart hurts saying the words, but I know I need to keep pushing him.
“What?”
“I said leave. I don’t want you here. I can’t do this.”
He stumbles forward a few steps and tries to grip my hand, but I pull away. “But you said you would stay with me until the end,”
he chokes out, shattering what little shield I had erected around myself.
I feel the tears break through my lashes as I look up at him. “I can’t. I can’t keep letting you in, just to have you ripped away from me.”
I cross my arms across my chest, trying to hold the pain I’m feeling right now in saying those words. “I rather end this now and never see you again, than to watch you crumble right in front of me and have my heart obliterated. Fire me…I don’t give a fuck anymore.”
“Don’t leave me,”
he whispers, and I can see his emotions breaking as he stares at me with wide eyes.
“You didn’t give in to Alex begging you for the same thing. Why should I treat you any different from how you were treating him?”
I’m surprised Alex is staying pretty quiet through this entire interaction, but I think he just doesn’t have anything left to offer. He tried his best to have Wren see reason and he failed. I glance at him, and he nods his head. He knows what I’m trying to do. I need to play at Wren’s emotions if I have any chance in getting through to him.
“Get out. I’ll be out of here by the morning, since I’ll assume you’ll send the notice of my termination to Adrian once you leave.”
His body sways in front of me and his knees buckle under him. They slam into the ground and his chest heaves as he tries to draw in a clean breath. I can only imagine how he feels right now. He was trying to be strong, and he thought he still had me by his side to help him with this stupid decision, but I just ripped that all away from him within seconds.
I look over to Alex and give him a small smile. “Alex, get him out of here. This is still my home for the day, and I wish for him to be removed.”
He narrows his eyes at me, and I nod my head towards Wren. He grips his arm, but Wren pulls away from him. “I’m not leaving,”
Wren chokes out.
“You don’t have a choice. Just because you’re King, doesn’t mean you have the right to be here. You told me I would have my own space, Wren. You’re in that space, and I want you gone.”
His knuckles turn white from the grip he has on his thighs. His entire body is shaking, but he still refuses to move or look up at me. I don’t know what else to do. I’ve done everything I can think of to try and get him to give in, and it’s still not enough.
I hear him mumble something under his breath and I strain to hear it. “Speak up, Wren. If you still have something to say to me, say it to my face.”
He lifts his head slowly and my breath catches in my throat. The way his hair falls in his eyes, the tears streaming down his face, eyes that hold nothing but defeat and sadness in this moment…looking at him is like having a vice gripping at my lungs, slowly tearing my insides apart as he completely breaks in front of me.
“I’ll do it.”