When Psychos Collide - Chapter 11

Chapter 11 His Only Salvation Ever since Cassian was a child, he had pushed himself to become the very best. Yet, all he had ever received in return were the ever-rising expectations and relentless criticisms from his father. His mother had been absent for as long as he knew her, while his father had been cold and unforgiving. Years of emotional neglect and constant pressure had gradually twisted something inside him. He was more rational and clearheaded than almost anyone else, but he also craved love more desperately than anyone.

After he came of age, he had voluntarily sought out a psychologist and confessed the problems he recognized within himself. After the doctor listened to his story, he had gently suggested, "Try placing your emotional attachment in the family you've built or will build for yourself in the future. Perhaps that will gradually heal the emptiness inside you." A family of his own? At the time, Cassian had found the idea both absurd and laughable. After all, no one understood his nature better than he did. His love came in extremes. There was no in between for any takebacks.

The person he loved had to belong solely to him, with their entire heart and every thought fixed on him alone. He knew enough that no one could ever accept an obsessive love that was twisted and possessive. He had believed he was destined to spend the rest of his life alone. That was when Heather appeared. When they first met, she had an impassive expression. She oozed a calm confidence that seemed to be infused in whatever she did. She was unfailingly professional, treating everyone with the same cool indifference.

Yet, he caught her printing the cover of a financial magazine featuring him by pure chance. He'd also noticed how her entire desktop was covered with nothing but photographs of him. When she noticed him watching, she didn't panic or try to hide it. Instead, she met his gaze openly and said with complete sincerity that he was her role model and her goal. For the first time in years, Cassian felt his heart pound violently inside his chest.

The accomplishments his father had dismissed, the effort no one had ever acknowledged, the glory no one had cared about-this aloof young woman had treasured them enough to print them out, simply because she admired him. For the first time in his life, he felt seen, and he couldn't get enough of it. From that day forward, he found his eyes constantly trailing after Heather. He became jealous whenever she smiled at a new male intern.