A Warrior’s Second Chance novel Chapter 378

FAYE

I barely remember how I got out of his office.

One moment I was standing there, my hands pressed against the desk, my voice raised in a way that didn’t feel like mine–and the next, I was walking fast. The hallway blurred past me, my steps sharp against the floor, my breathing uneven.

I didn’t stop.

I couldn’t.

Because if I stopped, I would have to think about what just happened.

And I didn’t want to.

I didn’t want to think about the look on Alexander’s face.

The surprise.

The confusion.

The way he had just… stared at me.

My jaw tightened, my hands clenching briefly at my sides as I pushed the door to our chambers open and stepped inside.

The door shut behind me with a dull thud.

Silence. Finally.

But it didn’t help.

It didn’t fix anything.

Because the moment I was alone-

I felt it.

Stronger than before.

The heat.

It wasn’t normal.

It wasn’t just anger.

It felt like something sitting under my skin, spreading through me, thick and suffocating. My chest felt tight, my breathing shallow, like there wasn’t enough air in the room even though nothing had changed.

I dragged a hand through my hair, pacing once, twice, then stopping abruptly in the middle of the room.

“What is wrong with me…” I muttered under

I my breath.

I knew something was wrong.

I just didn’t know what.

My hands trembled slightly as I pressed them against my temples, squeezing my eyes shut for a second as I tried to steady myself.

It didn’t work.

If anything, it made it worse.

Because the moment I went still-

Everything rushed back in.

The argument.

My voice.

The way I snapped.

The way I-

My eyes flew open.

I turned away sharply, like I could physically shake the memory off.

No.

No, that wasn’t-

That wasn’t me.

I swallowed hard, my chest rising and falling faster now.

I had never-

Never-

My hands clenched again, tighter this time.

Because that wasn’t even the worst part.

The worst part was that, while I was standing there with Alexander-

I had wanted to hurt him… attack him, throw something at him.

Even though he didn’t do anything to deserve that.

The thought hit again, heavier this time.

I pressed my lips together, my fingers curling into my palms as I tried to push it away.

But it didn’t go anywhere.

It stayed.

Right there.

The heat pressed in harder.

My chest tightened.

My skin felt too sensitive, like even the air brushing against it was too much.

I straightened abruptly, my hands moving to the hem of my clothes, pulling them off quickly, impatiently. The fabric hit the floor without care, forgotten the second it left my body.

I didn’t stop.

Didn’t think too much.

I stepped forward, placing one foot into the tub first.

The moment my skin touched the water-

I exhaled.

A sharp, sudden release of breath I hadn’t realized I was holding.

It helped… a little.

The heat didn’t disappear, but it shifted–eased just enough for me to move again, to step fully in, lowering myself slowly.

The water climbed higher.

Over my ankles, my knees, my thighs.

I sank deeper, my muscles relaxing just slightly as the coolness wrapped around me differently now–less suffocating.

My hands gripped the edge of the tub as I lowered myself further.

My stomach, my chest, my shoulders.

The tension loosened.

Just enough.

I tilted my head back slightly, closing my eyes as I let myself sink deeper into the water.

The water rose higher.

Reaching my neck, my chin.

Then my lips.

I inhaled slowly-

And then let myself go.

The water swallowed me completely.