She’s been crying. And she looks angry more than she looks sad. I pinch her chin with my fingers and force her face up. “You tell me who got you so upset, love, and I’m going back to kill them right now.”
She blinks, a fresh tear smearing her cheek before her eyes finally meet mine.
VICTORIA
My body trembles with indescribable rage.
He holds me, but it does nothing to quiet the storm that’s been brewing inside me. It entices it. Brings it up to the surface, threatening to drown us both.
Sasha told me the truth—I called him this morning, using Ekaterina’s phone. And he confirmed my worst fear—my mother… my sister… they’re gone… sold into slavery like objects… to be used and disposed of when they break.
He even sent a video from the security cameras of my father’s house. I saw them struggling, saw them beg for mercy that never came. Saw the tears on Anya’s cheeks and the screams erupting from Mom’s mouth.
The thought of Wolfgang and his men shoving them into cars rips through my heart, causing havoc as my stomach churns. It’s bringing me to the edge of my sanity.
How could he do something so vile?
Everyone in Alemont City knew what happened to them. I was the only one who didn’t while I stupidly convinced myselfWolfgang Rykov was a man worthy of my heart. He isn’t. Never was, not even for a goddamn second. He’s a monster.
I’m such a goddamn fool.
My throat throbs with the pain of unspoken words. Of all the things I want to shout in his face but don’t. Not yet.
This last bit of sanity I have left is going to have to keep me going, so I can brave this storm tactfully. Get my mother and my sister out of the country. And run away from this evil family once and for all. From this monster looking at me with his cold, calculated eyes. The eyes I fell for like an idiot.
“Victoria,” he says, and the way my name rolls off his tongue breaks another piece of my heart. It’s tender, caring, almost sounds genuine. If I didn’t already know the truth, I would believe him again. And again. And again. I would give myself over to him for the thousandth time.
More tears spill on my cheeks, wetting the pillow and the hand he has on my chin.
The words shake on my lips as I lie to him, hoping he won’t see right through me.
“You fucking left me alone in here. You knew how rattled I was by the attack, and you still left. Now you come in here as if nothing happened, wanting to fuck me. To chase your own high.”
He blinks, taken aback. He looks exhausted, and on a night like this, I’d give him anything he needs… because I love him. I love him, and this couldn’t be any fucking harder. He might have been the man who put me back together, but now he’s breaking me harder than anyone ever has.
I expect him to turn cold, tell me he was busy, but his eyes warm up when a smile stretches across his lips. My heart skips a beat. But I know better than to believe his lies now.
“I hate every goddamn second I’m away from you,” he whispers, pressing a kiss to my trembling lips.
It’s soft, tender, and I mewl as my mind resists the urge to lean back for more.
“But I had to leave you here today, so you were safe, love, while I chopped up the body of the fucker who shot at us yesterday. Yes,” he says when he sees me frown, “This is why I couldn’t take you with me. I might have dragged you into my world, but that doesn’t mean I won’t protect you from seeing its horrors. Your job is to be happy and loved.” He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, his warm skin touching mine, a sizzle of electricity coursing through me. “Mine is to make sure I create a safe space for you, so you can do just that.”
His eyelids grow heavy as he says it, and a long, deep sigh leaves his chest. It pains me to do it, but I jerk my chin away from his touch. Retreating to the edge of my pillow, I look up at the ceiling, at the shadows swaying in the dark.
“It’s alright, love,” he murmurs, his voice softer than a whisper. “You’re my good girl. I’ll take care of you…”
Sorrow slides in and out of my body with every breath. I squeeze my eyelids shut, trying my hardest to keep it together. I should ask him about what happened to Anya and my mom. But didn’t Sasha already confirm it? What other confirmation am I looking for? Why can’t I just do what needs to be done?
Because you love him. Because you’re still clinging to the hope that he’s not the monster you thought he was.
I think about all of that, reeling with my indecision.
“Will you even be here tomorrow?” I ask, a shred of guilt seeping between the cracks of my heart because I know damn well what I’m doing right now. I’m prying. Getting anything from him that I can use if I decide to go to Ekaterina for help.
This is allhisfault.
“I had to lie to my father today. I told him I took care of the problem, but I only did that partially. I just wanted to come home—to you. I’m tired, love, and you’re the only one who can put me to sleep right now.”
