Heartprints in the Void
⊰ 13 ⊱ Breaking Point

I stare blankly at the table, the chatter of my teammates fading into background noise as I sit in the conference room. My eyes feel heavy, my mind foggy from last night's restless sleep. The conversation I had with Ava about Cade and his father has been haunting me, playing on a loop in my head.

"Elysian," Cade's sharp voice calls for my attention, snapping me out of my daze. "What do you have for me?"

*What?*

...

*Oh, right!*

I blink, scrambling to gather my thoughts. "I, uh...I'm just finishing up some documentation," I mumble, evidently unprepared. "But otherwise, I'm open to taking on any new projects."

Cade chuckles softly, a condescending smirk twisting his features. "Documentation? Isn't that something you should've handled last week? Or have you been too busy daydreaming to get your work done?" *Um..?*

I feel the heat rising in my cheeks, embarrassment and anger washing over me. "No, I just had a few loose ends t-❞

"Loose ends?" He cuts me off, leaning forward as his intense gaze mocks me. "In this company, we don't leave things half-finished. If you can't keep up, maybe you're not cut out for this team." *Are you fucking serious..?*

His words are like a slap in the face, echoing in the suddenly silent room. I can feel the eyes of my teammates on me with pitiful looks on their faces and a curious glint in their eyes.

*He's doing this to get back at me for what happened in the garage...*

I swallow hard, forcing a tight smile, knowing this is a fight I can't fight or win even if I could. "I won't let it happen again," I forfeit bitterly.

"That's the best idea you've had so far." Cade's tone is final and a clear warning of the message he tried to send and I wouldn't hear. *Fuck. You.*

In the next moment, he turns his attention back to the rest of the team, dismissing me without another glance. As the meeting continues, I barely register the rest of the discussion, my mind reeling from the humiliation and anger. The longer I sit here, the more it feels like this meeting is never-ending, and when it finally does end, I can't bring myself to look up from my laptop. As everyone files out of the conference room, I take my time gathering my things, hoping I'll have the room to myself so that I don't have to face anyone.

Unfortunately, staying behind isn't *just* my idea.

Cade lingers, pretending to review some notes on his laptop until the room clears out and it's just me and him, sitting in silence. It doesn't last long as once he notices the room's cleared, he makes his way for the door, pausing beside me. HIs voice is low, taunting me, "I'm glad we have an understanding now."

I clench my jaw, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing my break. I keep my eyes fixed on the table, blinking back the angry tears that threaten to fall. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch as he walks out of the room, and I wait until he's out of sight to grab my laptop and head back to my desk.

I set it down with more force than necessary, the frustration radiating off of me in waves. "Hey, you okay?" Krina's voice startles me, my body gently jolting involuntarily. I watch her move to stand beside my desk, wearing a look of concern on her face.

I take a deep breath, trying to recompose myself. "Yeah, I'm fine," I mutter. "Just tired."

She nods, but I can tell she's not entirely convinced. "Cade was pretty harsh back there. Don't let it get to you. We've all been on the receiving end of a manager's temper at some point."

*Yeah, except what he did to me was uncalled for.*

I wish I could say I'll be able to brush this off, to go home tonight and come back as though it were nothing, but I can't. I can't because I know that this is *just* the beginning, and he's not going to stop until he gets what he wants: I walk out the door and don't come back.

*I can't do that. I won't.*

...

*But I do need to get away from here right now before I lose my shit in front of all these people.*

As much as I appreciate Krina's attempt to comfort me, all I can offer her is a half-hearted smile and a hardly audible, "Thanks, Krina."

She gives me a sympathetic look, and just as she parts her lips to speak again, I interject, "I think I'm gonna head out for lunch early, clear my head."

With this, I grab my keys and wallet, practically stomping my way to the elevator and across the parking garage. The moment I'm inside my car, I let out a scream of frustration, pouding my fists against the steering wheel.

He humiliated me in front of everyone. He used his position to belittle and demean me as though I'm nothing.

*To him, I am nothing...*

...

*He's just like...*

As I sit here, seething, the realization hits me like a ton of bricks. Cade's behavior, the way he stood over me and looked down on me, it's so eerily similar to how his father treated me when we were together.

It's just like *that* night-the night we had dinner together, three and a half years ago.

We were sitting at a high-end restaurant, seated at a table with Cade's parents. Olivia, Cade's mother, was her usual warm, loving, and welcoming self, trying to engage me in conversation to make me feel comfortable around David who evidently would've rather been anywhere else.

"So, Elysian," he began, his tone casual with an undercurrent of disdain. "Cade tells me you're studying mathematics. What's the plan there? Planning to be a high school teacher?"

He was condescending and rude, but I didn't know how to respond. I didn't know how to do anything except pretend that I wasn't offended.

I felt cheeks flush, and despite my embarrassment and the defensiveness rising in my throat, I managed a polite response, "No, actually. I'm planning to go into cybersecurity. It's a growing field with a lot of opportunities."

David chuckled, taking a sip of his expensive whiskey in his fancy gray suit. "Cybersecurity? That's a man's world, sweetheart. You really think you have what it takes to compete with the big boys?"

Cade wasn't having it, swiftly cutting in, his voice tight as he said, "Dad, that's enough. Elysian is incredibly talented and hardworking. She'll do great in any field she chooses."

I wish it were enough, but the fact that Cade stood up for me only rattled David more.

David shook his head, a smirk playing on his lips. "I'm just looking out for you, son. A man in your position needs a partner who can keep up, not some college girls with her head in the clouds."

It stung, because as much as I hate to admit it, I was always insecure about the fact that Cade was so much more than I was. He had it all. Meanwhile, I was a poor orphan girl whose mother died giving birth to her and father drank himself to death a decade later. I went to school on a scholarship and financial aid, and if I failed, I didn't have a billion dollars to fall back on.

Olivia knew this. She was well aware of the *very* humble beginnings I had, and I could see it in her face: she felt sorry for me. She tried to intervene, her voice strained as she said, "David, please. This isn't the time or place."

But David ignored her, his focus still on me. "I want what's best for my boy. And I'm not sure that's you, sweetheart."

I could feel the tears stinging my eyes, my hands shaking beneath the table. I looked at Cade, silently hoping he'd change the subject.

Cade's jaw clenched, his eyes flashing with anger. "Enough, Dad. I won't sit here and listen to you insult the woman I love." He stood up abruptly, his napkin falling to the floor. He reached for my hand, his grip firm and reassuring. "We're leaving. Now."

I stood on shaky legs, letting Cade lead me out of the restaurant. I could hear David's scoff behind us, Olivia's plea for us to stay going ignored. Still, Cade wouldn't look back, his focus solely on getting us out of there.

The heavy sigh that parts my lips pulls me out of my thoughts, the memory fading and I'm back in my car, my heart racing, my eyes wet with unshed tears. And I wonder...what happened to that man? The one who stood up for me, who loved me fiercely and unapologetically? Now, it's like he's a carbon copy of David, cold and ruthless, using his power to tear me down.

*Why..?*

Suddenly, I know what I have to do. I can't let this go on. I can't let Cade's dad win. I have to replace out the truth.

I think back to the day Ava left, the nagging feeling that I needed to dig deeper to replace answers. I was afraid then, worried about the potential consequences. But now? Now I'm driven by a burning desire to expose the truth and make Cade pay for every moment of pain he's caused me.