Page 127 of Unapologetic Obsession

Finally alone, I braced my hands on my knees and panted. The world outside was muffled and strangely distant. Fragments of memory erupted over and over in my skull, a cascade of volatile chemical reactions I couldn’t contain. Rage flooded my system, scalding and unstoppable. It mixed with my sadness. The pressure behind my ribs built, and the dam finally broke. I let out all my frustration and anger with a scream, while my vision blurred with hot tears.

My half-brother tried to murder me.

And Caden… I didn’t even know where to start with him.

He saved me.

He hurt me.

He made me hate him.

He made me fall in love with him.

I pressed the heels of my hands into my eyes, willing all the images to center around the day at the warehouse. Instead, other images continued to take precedence.

Caden sitting by my bedside for hours.

Caden tending to my wounds.

The sound of his laugh—the times he allowed himself to laugh, that is.

The way he always took my side, even the times I was in the wrong.

The way he centered his life around my happiness.

Even his possessiveness was starting to become endearing.

The tears finally stopped, replaced by clarity—I wouldn’t be free of Caden Maxwell even if I escaped this boat. He was tangled up in every part of my soul, impossible to separate from my own sense of self.

“You okay?”

My head spun when a voice broke my spiral. “What the hell?” I jumped, placing my hands on my chest.

Jace, the crew member I had met on my second day on the boat, put his hands up in surrender. My heart rate slowed at the familiar face. “Chill. Remember me? It’s Jace.”

“You scared me.”

“Sorry. It looked like you needed a minute, and I wanted to give you some space.”

Heat crept up my neck as I realized he had witnessed my entire meltdown from the banshee scream to full-fledged tears. “How long have you been standing there?”

“A while,” he admitted. His face was lit up for some reason.

I scanned the corridor. At least there was no one else here who saw my epic breakdown. It looked like I was at the service entrance, connecting the galley to the grand ballroom. The smell of bread and disinfectant permeated the air.

My eyes flicked from Jace’s uniform to the service cart beside him, realizing he was working the event. He had been in the middle of pouring champagne when I had rudely barged in.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t seem fine.”

I let my arms drop. “Long night.” I tried to smile, but it twisted into a grimace. I was grateful when he didn’t press the topic.

Jace reached into the service cart and pulled out a bottle of champagne. “Looks like you could use a drink.”

“Thought those were for the guests.”