"I've never been more certain of anything in my entire life."
The truth. Complete and total truth. No overthinking. No second-guessing. No spiral of what-ifs and maybes and logical arguments.
Just certainty. Pure and absolute and terrifying in its clarity.
He takes my hand in his.
Bloody. Perfect. His.
"I want you to see something." His voice is steadier now but still rough. "What I'll do for you. What I've already done."
He leads me toward the destroyed doorway, toward whatever's waiting outside this suite.
Part of me wants to look back. At Dmitri's body. At the proof of Ivan's love, written in blood and broken bones and destroyed furniture.
But I don't look back.
There’s no need to.
I know what I signed up for. Know what loving Ivan Petrov means. What being his woman means. What this life will be.
And I want it.
All of it.
His hand tightens on mine as we step through the destroyed door frame.
Together.
Into whatever comes next.
Together.
31
IVAN
I lead Lila to the deck.
Her hand is small in mine, still trembling slightly. She's processing everything. The blood. Dmitri's broken body. The fact that I killed him with my bare hands while she watched.
The door opens, and I stop.
Shit.
I didn't expect it to be this much.
The harbor before us is in chaos. Hundreds of ships burning. Every vessel within a half-mile radius is engulfed in flames. Orange and red paint the night sky in a twisted sunset.
Dmitri's entire empire. Every warehouse. Every operation. Decades of work. All of it is turning to ash.
The flames reflect off black water, making everything look almost beautiful. Destruction as art.
Police sirens wail from every direction. Getting louder. Getting closer. Coast Guard boats race toward the carnage. People jump from burning vessels. Swimming. Screaming. Chaos everywhere.
But my men are gone already, fleeing before authorities arrived or blending into the panicking crowds. Playing victim.Just civilians who happened to be near the docks when everything went wrong.
This yacht sits untouched. An island in the middle of hell.
