Chapter 220: The Line She Just Crossed

Chris stared at Skylar, his fingers curled into a fist on the desk.

"Right about what?" he had asked.

And she had looked him in the eye and said it.

"About what you've become."

The words hung between them like a blade.

Chris felt something shift inside him—something dark, something dangerous. Skylar had never spoken to him like this before. Never questioned him like this before.

"Go on," he said, his voice eerily calm.

Skylar held his gaze, but he could see the hesitation in her eyes now. As if she had just realized the weight of her words.

"Chris… you started this to protect yourself. To protect us," she said, her voice softer now. "But look at where we are. You're not just defending yourself anymore. You're—"

"Conquering?" he finished for her.

Skylar inhaled sharply.

"You launched nuclear missiles at Nigeria."

Chris didn't flinch. "It was necessary."

"You invaded an entire country."

"They refused to listen."

Skylar's voice rose. "You declared war on Russia inside the Kremlin, Chris! You crippled an entire nation overnight!"

Chris leaned forward, his expression unreadable.

"And?"

Skylar's breath caught.

Chris's patience was running out.

"Say what you really mean, Skylar," he said coldly. "You think I've gone too far?"

Silence.

Then—

"I think you've become everything you swore you wouldn't."

Chris exhaled slowly, forcing down the heat rising in his chest.

So this was it.

Skylar, the one person he had trusted above all others, the one person he had protected without question—now stood against him.

He should have seen it coming.

Ava Sinclair was a parasite. A woman who thrived on rebellion, who had spent years waiting for the perfect moment to turn Skylar against him.

And Skylar had let her.

Chris closed his eyes for a brief second, and when he opened them, the warmth was gone.

"So what now?" he asked. "You think I should stop? Step down? Apologize for everything?"

Skylar shook her head.

"I think you need to remember who you were before all this," she whispered.

Chris laughed. A quiet, empty laugh.

"You still don't understand, do you?" he murmured.

Skylar's brows furrowed.

Chris stood, walking around the desk until he was right in front of her. Slowly, he reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"The man you fell in love with—the one who wanted to stay hidden, to be normal? He died a long time ago."

Skylar swallowed hard, but Chris wasn't done.

"I don't want to be that man again," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "And if you do… then you're standing on the wrong side."

Skylar's breath hitched.

Chris let his hand drop.

"Tell me, Skylar," he said, tilting his head slightly. "Are you against me now?"

She didn't answer right away.

That hesitation? It told him everything.

Chris stepped back, his expression cold.

"You should leave," he said. "Before I decide what to do with you."

Skylar's eyes widened slightly.

"Chris—"

"Go."

For the first time in their years together, Skylar looked afraid of him.

And as she turned and walked out of the room, Chris let out a slow breath.

He had made his decision.

If she stood against him—

Then she was no different from the rest of them.