“I’m not asking you t-to forgive right now. I d-deserve every emotion you’re t-throwing at me. I know you’re g-going to need time.”
Tears spilled over my cheeks. “I trusted you. After being burned so many times, I let you in, and you knew how much that meant. And all the while you were lying to me.”
“I know,” Maksim said in a low voice.
“You didn’t just desecrate my private life–you did my parents and my brothers.” With a sob, I swiped the tears from my eyes. “You desecrated my body.”
“I swear on my life, I never meant t-to hurt you.”
“LIAR!” I screamed.
When Maksim started to close the gap between us, I shook my head vehemently back and forth. “Don’t you dare come near me right now.”
He immediately froze. As I started backing away from him, I lost my breath at the sight of him dropping to his knees. “P-Please say you’ll give me some t-time. T-That you’ll t-think about the reasons why and not how I d-did it. T-That you’ll g-give me a second chance someday.”
“There’s no second chances when you broke my heart, you fucking bastard!”
Whirling around, I fled into the bedroom. Voxie cried out when I snatched her off the bed. I didn’t even bother with her carrier or my things. I didn’t care that I was wearing silk pajamas and didn’t have a robe.
With my tears clouding my vision, I ran from the penthouse. Ignoring Maksim’s voice, I jabbed the button for the elevator repeatedly. When the doors opened, I rushed inside. Heappeared in the penthouse doorway just as the elevator doors slid closed.
The anguish and torment on his face would stay with me for days every time I closed my eyes.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN: MAKSIM
With all the turmoil of my childhood and teenage years, I thought I’d seen hard times. I thought I’d been to hell and back. I’d known true suffering.
But I was a fool.
I didn’t truly know the burning flames of agony until Sarah walked out on me. There was no relief to my suffering. The only solace came with drug induced sleep, and even then, I was tormented with dreams of her.
She’d blocked my number.
She’d called security on me at her work.
She’d refused the delivery of flowers with cards filled with my regret and penance.
Yesterday, I’d been refused my last connection to her when Hudson had politely met my car outside her building to ask me to not drive by anymore. To my surprise, he hadn’t threatened me bodily harm, and it wasn’t because he knew I was a Bratva boss.
“You royally and epically fucked up, man,” Hudson said as he stood outside my SUV.
“I’m aware of t-that.”
After glancing around, he said, “I just want you to know I’m on your side.”
I furrowed my brows at him. “You are?”
“Archie and I both are.”
“Does Sarah know?”
His blue eyes widened. “Are you fucking kidding me? Of course she doesn’t. She’s barely been talking to us. I can’t start building your image back anytime soon, or I’ll lose her myself.”
“But why? Why would her best friend from childhood be on my side?” I questioned suspiciously.
“It goes without saying that what you did was morally and ethically bankrupt.”
Scowling, I replied, “T-Thanks for reminding me.”
