I shoved away from Malik, nearly toppling off the bed.
“I’m a married woman,” I gasped, my chest heaving. “Roman is my husband, and I love him.” I forced myself to meet Malik’s emerald gaze, my heart pounding. “I can’t betray him. Whatever this is, Malik—it stops now.”
Malik rolled onto his back, his arms resting behind his head.
A knowing smile tugged at his lips. “Roman is lucky to have you.”
I sat up, still breathless, staring at him.
“I can’t do this,” I said, waving a frantic hand between us. “This… this thing—whatever it is between us. I can’t explain it but won’t submit to it.”
I swallowed hard, my voice firmer now. “I love my husband. I miss him. But I would never betray him.”
Malik’s gaze filled with something dark—something unreadable.
He swept the tip of his tongue across his upper lip, savoring something unseen.
Then, he closed his eyes and smiled as if indulging in a delicious meal.
That pull—that massive, inescapable force—dragged at me again, like an unseen tractor beam reeling me toward him.
My entire soul vibrated with its weight.
But I couldn’t—I wouldn’t—submit.
This bond between us was undeniable.
But it wasn’t real.
It couldn’t be.
And no matter how much it burned through me?—
Roman was the man I wanted.
And I refused to betray him.
With a strangled groan, I rolled from the bed and fled Malik’s room.
“Emily,” I muttered under my breath, racing down the dimly lit hallway, my pulse thundering in my ears. “I need to see Emily. I need to check on her wounds.”
I reached her door and shoved it open without knocking.
Then, stopped cold.
Rosie lay curled up, fast asleep, her tiny frame rising and falling with each peaceful breath. But Emily sat beside her, crying. Silent, shaking sobs racked her body as she clutched a blanket to her chest.
I rushed to her side, dropping to my knees.
“Emily,” I breathed, my fingers stroking her tear-streaked face. “You’re healed! It’s a miracle! What happened? Why are you crying?”
She sniffled, wiping her nose against her sleeve.
“Malik healed me before he left to find you,” she whispered, her voice raw. “For that, I’m grateful.” A fresh wave of tears slid down her cheeks. “But Marcellious…” Her voice cracked. “What an evil man. I never should have fallen for him. I should’ve listened to you. And now—now Balthazar has the journal!”
Her entire body trembled.
“Marcellious has been betraying us this whole time.”
