"What?" My breath left me instantly, and I felt panic rising through my body at a pace that was alarming in itself.

Christian's wary eyes were trained on me, but his hands remained balled at his sides. It was almost as if he was restraining himself from reaching for me, from grabbing me and cradling me. I was thankful that he did, seeing that he had just revealed something that he should have kept to himself.

Or should he have not? I was confused.

"Ana." It was a feeble attempt to cut through the tension pulsating between us, but it managed to break me away from the darkness within my mind. "Ana." He tried again, his voice quiet and pleading.

I shook my head and took a step backwards from him involuntarily. My mind was disconnecting itself from my body, and my body had begun to step in to protect itself. Even in the dim moonlight shining through his apartment, I could see the fear in his eyes. It almost chills my anger, my own arms craving to cuddle him and reassure him that no matter what I was his.

But it would be a lie.

I could feel my muscles tensing in recoil of the betrayal. I could taste the metal in my mouth from the bitter truth. Even though we had whispered sweet nothings of forever over and over, I was now uncertain of whether I still wanted to be in this relationship. This toxic relationship that was a shit show.

Christian, picking up on my impending decision, raised both hands up in surrender. "Ana, please."

My heart yearned for him. I clenched my teeth, "No." It had been directed at my heart, but it had served another purpose.

His beautiful eyes widened further, the grey more charged than I had ever seen before. "I wasn't thinking."

The anger within me, at first contained at the size of a mustard seed, exploded into an enormous tree within hearing his cop-out of a sentence. "YOU. WEREN'T. THINKING?!" I snapped, the volume of my voice shocking Christian and even catching me by surprise. "YOU ARE AN ASSHOLE. SCREW OFF, CHRISTIAN GREY."

"Ana!" Christian's arms fell to his sides, and then they stretched out towards me.

I ignored the plea in his voice. Biting down on my lip, I shook my head even harder. "Stop." I could not bear hearing him call my voice again and again. In my head, I could hear the love and lust in his voice, except this time, he was calling for... Leila. I felt the pang of hurt hit my chest, wiping out my air. The massive apartment was closing in on me.

"I'm leaving." I whisper, my hands finding my handbag without so much as a glance.

It was Christian's turn to shake his head. "NO! ANASTASIA, YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME."

Spinning around, I retreated with quick steps. I had to keep going, as much as I wanted to stay and move past this, I had to stand up for myself.

"YOU CAN'T LEAVE!" Christian hollered, his voice pained.

I stopped in my tracks. My past insecurities had become my new reality. My voice was even and soft, but I knew he would be able to hear me with his harrowing silence. "You're wrong, Grey. This time it is you who left me."

The tears I had no idea I was keeping back the entire time finally brimmed over my eye lids, flowing down my cheeks as I stepped into the elevator. I pressed the buttons quick, my gaze sweeping and avoiding the torturous image of the love of my life all alone in his big apartment pining for me to return.

Finally, the doors clicked shut and the elevator began zooming down from the tower I once felt wholly loved in. The moment I hit the streets, the betrayal conquered my bravado hard. My knees crashed against the pavement as my body quaked with uncontrollable sobs. As if in a weak attempt to fill a spot that was now empty, I wrapped my arms tightly around myself. I had to keep myself together, and when I could no longer, I had to be with someone who could do the job for me.

I fished my phone out and worked fast dialing the one number I knew would make everything better now.

"Hello?" Ethan sounded scruffy.

I felt guilty. "I'm sorry... were you sleeping?"

I heard a shuffle of movement. "Ana?" His voice was panicked, no ounce of drowsiness remained. "Are you crying?"

My bottom lip quivered as another round of tears shook through me.

"Ana? Sweetheart? Are you okay? Where are you?" Ethan kept the questions coming when he did not get an answer. "Are you with Christian?" I heard the sound of keys jingling.

"NO!" My voice rose by octaves. "D-d-on't come." The last thing I needed now was the clash between Christian's bodyguards and Ethan.

"Ana? I'm coming." Ethan was determined.

"I'll come." I replied.

Just then, the familiar black SUV came into view. I dashed behind a pillar, watching it drive into the parking area waiting for its master. Another pair of headlights came towards me, and I quickly dashed forward to flag the cab. Once I climbed in, I gave my phone a hard toss out the window. Christian can trace that junk for all I cared, he had given it to me anyway.

"Miss? Is everything okay?" The cab driver picked up on the atmosphere.

"Please, drive on." I told the cab driver, plastering a smile on my face but all I could think about was Christian's confession.

"You gave her a bath... in my tub?" I asked, my insecurities waking from their rest and stretching.

"Yes, I did." His tone was even and detached, like that of a robot.

"And dressed her in my clothes?" My insecurities blossomed, growing larger by the millisecond. Anger coursed through my veins. She had no right, HE had no right. They were MY clothes.

"Yes, I did." Something changed in his voice.

"Did you..." My words got lost, but I found them again after a long while. "... fuck her?"

I had squeezed my eyes shut, hoping he would combust and yell at me for questions his fidelity. Yet, there was a pause, and then a curt "yes."

Fifty Shades.