He narrows his gaze on me like a predator lurking around its prey. “He was getting in the way. Look at what he did to you. I was right to get rid of him.”
“I’m the way I am because of you. Because my only family died, and I couldn’t cope with the grief. You used my pain to your advantage. We both know it, so stop bullshiting me.”
“It never stopped you from letting me fuck you like a greedy whore,” he says and my stomach drops.
He never loved me. It was all in my head. I’m just a prize he covets, a taxidermy of a deer to expose on his wall.
Have I ever mattered to him? Or was I just a pawn in his game of chess?
My body reacts faster than my brain can register and my hand collides with the side of his face. “You son of a bitch.”
“I don’t care if you hate me. That’ll change. We’ll come out of this stronger and more united than before.”
“Don’t delude yourself. I’ll fucking kill myself before I ever think of forgiving you.”
He grabs my throat and squeezes around my flesh until spots crowd my vision. “Don’t you fucking dare try to take your life again. I will chain you up in this room and keep you on life support if I have to. Believe me, I fucking will.”
“You can’t save someone who doesn’t want to be saved,” I choke out. “Do yourself a favor and move on. I already came to terms with my fate. You should, too.”
“Listen to me, you selfish prick,” he snarls and tightens his grip. “You will live because I say so. And while you live for me, I will go finish the job and get rid of the parasite plaguing your mind.”
“Who? You?” I mock but of course he doesn’t laugh. No, instead he has the audacity to smirk, and I realize why. “Don’t you dare touch him or I’ll fucking kill you myself.”
“I can’t believe you still care about that waste of space after everything he did to you. Can’t you remember how he lied to you? How he broke your heart? He played you.”
“Fuck you.”
“Gladly, but first I need to fix your mess.” He drops me, turns around, and walks to the iron door. Before he leaves, he glances at me one last time and smiles. “I love you, Aoi. Remember that.”
Visha’sexact words.
58
Visha
I stare at the lake engulfed in darkness.
A fresh night breeze sways against my exposed skin, and I shudder, eyes transfixed on the water’s shimmering surface.
This is where he stood. What went through his mind while he stared at this lake in front of him,? Did he think about me when he stepped into the freezing water and bid the world goodbye? Did he hesitate when the frost seeped into his bones?
I don’t know what to think anymore. I want to believe he never set foot in that liquid grave.
“Visha?” a muffled voice echoes from the phone in my hand. “Are you still there?”
I raise the device back to my ear and inhale a shaky breath. “I…am.”
“Are you alone?” he asks, worry laced onto his tone.
“No, there’s cops pursuing their search like you ordered them to.” I crouch down and dip my fingers into the water. “Bell, be honest.”
“What?”
“Do you think he’s dead?” I ask, swaying my fingers in the water and gazing at the darkest shade of blue. “Be honest.”
“I-” He sighs. “Nothing is for sure. If he got out of the water fast enough, I suppose he could have survived it. If he wandered off and someone found him nearby and helped him then his chances of survival skyrocketed.”
“Bellami,” I grit out. “This is a yes or no question.”
