“Looking forward to it.”
She smirks. “But just so you know, Iwillfind out about your new friend. I’m very resourceful.”
“I’m terrified.” I roll my eyes.
“You should be.”
“Yeah, yeah. Bye, psycho.”
She chuckles, shutting the door behind her,
Shaking my head, I grab the unopened mail, knowing I won’t be able to focus on anything else until I’ve sorted through it all and tossed the junk. I sift through the stack of mail without much thought: legal briefs, case updates, nothing too exciting.
Until it is.
My fingers stall on a plain white envelope—no postage, no return address—and I know instantly what it is.
I inhale sharply, not wanting to open it.
Somehow, I’d forgotten about the letters and the threats. But here it is again, staring back like it never left.
Thumb brushing along the seam, I glance at the door, unable to shake the feeling that someone’s on the other side. Watching. Waiting.
I roll my chair closer to the window and glance down at the parking lot, but there’s no one except a bunch of cars and the two men Aleksei assigned to stalk me. Turning back to the envelope, I open it slowly, anxiety winding its way up my spine with every inch of the tearing seal.
Inside is a single sheet of paper with words typed up.
You really think he can save you, Mrs. Marinova? You have no idea what I am capable of.
A chill slides beneath my skin. The paper rustles as I drop it, and my hands haven’t stopped shaking.
I read it again, slower this time, letting each word settle deep in my chest. My gaze drifts toward the window once again, scanning the sidewalk, the parked cars.
Nothing moves. No one stares back.
But someone was close enough to deliver this without being seen.
I fold the letter and tuck it back into the envelope, pushing it to the bottom of my drawer beneath a pile of legal pads. Out of sight, but not out of mind.
The back of my neck prickles. Whoever sent this knows I moved out. That I’m married. They have been watching me, and for the first time, I’m positive this isn’t Aleksei.
It’s someone worse.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
ALEKSEI
Once the meeting ends,I have no intention of going home. The thought of walking through that door and pretending I can exist in the same space as her…it’s unbearable.
I could go to one of our bars, drink until the world blurs, and sleep it off in the back office. But even that doesn’t tempt me.
What I need isn’t a drink. It’s destruction. My hands crave the violence of it, the release, the pain that comes after.
Tonight, I’ll disappear into the gym at home where she won’t find me and tear this unrest out of me with every hit I land. This chaos. This hunger. This obsession. I’ll beat it out, muscle by muscle, until there’s nothing left of her inside me.
Kirill is one of the last ones still here, rising from his chair and buttoning his jacket as he moves toward the exit.
“Are you leaving, or do you plan to sleep here?” His mouth jerks.
