“You didn’t corrupt anything, Remy.” Her fingers trace along my jaw, careful of the bruising. “To deal with someone like my father, I had to embrace what was already there. My own darkness.” Her lips curve into a bitter smile. “I’m half Montoni, after all. That should terrify you.”
A snarl tears from my throat, sending fresh agony through my ribs. “Don’t.” The word comes out harsh and commanding. “Don’t you dare compare yourself to him.”
“Why not?” Her thumb brushes over my split lip, the touch feather-light but deliberate. “Because it makes you uncomfortable? Because you’d rather believe you somehowtainted me?” She shakes her head. “I chose this path long before you re-entered my life. I chose to dive into the darkness because it was the only way to bring my father down.”
“Eve—”
“No,” she cuts me off, steel entering her voice. “You don’t get to shoulder this burden. What I did to my father, the choices I made—they’re mine. All of them.” Her hand slides to cup my cheek, forcing me to maintain eye contact. “I’m not some innocent you led astray, Remy. I never was.”
The truth in her words settles like lead in my stomach. I see it now in the unwavering determination behind her eyes, in the calculated precision with which she orchestrated Ano’s downfall.
The weight of her words hangs between us, but there’s more. I can see it in the way she shifts, gathering her thoughts.
“Even with this darkness inside me,” she says carefully, “my sense of justice will always drive my work. It’s not something I can turn off.” Her eyes lock onto mine. “That should worry you.”
The implication hits harder than any of Marcus’s punches. My jaw tightens as I study her face, searching for any hint of threat or challenge. “Are you asking if I think you’ll come after me next?”
Liv tilts her head, neither confirming nor denying.
“I won’t be like your father,” I say, the words coming out rougher than intended. “But I won’t pretend I don’t operate in gray areas. My work will always border on criminal—you know that.”
She doesn’t flinch from the admission. If anything, her expression softens slightly, though the steel remains in her eyes. I realize I’m holding my breath, waiting for her response, for some indication of where we stand now that the dust has settled and her father’s reign has ended.
I’ve never been one to beg, but something dangerously close to desperation claws at my chest as I watch her weigh her response.The silence stretches between us, filled with unspoken questions about boundaries and compromise, about whether we can find common ground.
Eve’s gaze holds mine, unflinching. “I’ve seen your world now, Remy. The shadows you operate in, the lines you cross.” Her fingers trace along my jaw, gentle despite the steel in her voice. “And I’ve watched you make choices that should horrify me.”
I swallow hard, but I force myself to maintain eye contact, to face whatever judgment she’s about to deliver.
“If you were anything like Ano—” A flash of darkness crosses her features. “If you were truly evil like him, I would destroy you without hesitation. Without a single regret.”
The words hit like a physical blow, but there’s something in her tone that makes me pause. She leans closer, her breath warm against my skin.
“But I trust my instincts, Remy. They’ve kept me alive in war zones, helped me navigate the worst humanity has to offer.” Her hand slides to cup my cheek. “And I would never have fallen for a monster.”
The implication of her words stops my breath. My heart pounds against bruised ribs as I search her face, looking for any sign of manipulation or calculation. But all I see is raw honesty in those eyes that have haunted me for eight years.
Before I can find my voice, Liv cups my cheek. “I love you.” The words fall soft but certain between us. “I love you, Remy Harding.”
Her confession hangs in the air like smoke, dangerous and intoxicating. I try to speak, but she shakes her head, silencing me with another brush of her fingers against my lips.
“And that’s exactly why I’ll hold you accountable,” she continues, her voice gaining an edge of steel beneath the tenderness. “Because I see you—all of you. The darkness and thelight. The man who’ll break bones to protect what’s his, and the one who risks everything to do what’s right.”
I reach out, my fingers ghosting over the bruise marring her cheek. The touch is feather-light, careful not to cause pain, but I can’t stop the darkness that wells up inside me at the sight of it. “Think carefully about what you’re saying, Eve.”
The evening shadows creep across the floor, painting everything in shades of gray. It feels fitting for the weight of what I need to confess.
“You say you see all of me?” My voice comes out rough, edges sharp enough to cut. “Then understand this—I am not a good man. Control isn’t just something I want; it’s what I need. Every situation, every person, every outcome—I have to own it all.”
I keep my eyes locked on her face, searching for the moment reality sets in. “Manipulation is as natural to me as breathing. I calculate every word and every gesture, mapping out reactions and consequences three steps ahead. Even now, part of me is analyzing your responses, looking for weaknesses I can exploit.”
The confession tastes bitter on my tongue, but I force myself to continue. “The darkness in me… it’s not something that can be fixed or changed. It’s fundamental to who I am. I will always seek to dominate, to possess, to control.”
I expect her to pull away, to finally see the monster beneath the polished exterior. Instead, she leans into my touch, her eyes never wavering from mine.
“I don’t need you to change.” Her words slice through my defenses with surgical precision. “I just need to know that you’ll trust me to stand beside you, not behind you.” Her lips curve into a dangerous smile. “And if you forget, remember how I took my father down.”
That pulls a dark laugh from my chest despite the pain in my ribs. My smile turns predatory as I trace my thumb along her jawline. “You’ll never be safe with me,” I tell her, the wordscarrying all the weight of a blood oath. “But I’ll make sure you’re never a victim again.”
