My heart stuttered.
“Sign a new agreement.” His eyes locked onto mine. “Live here. Under my roof. As my wife — for two years.”
The words hit like a detonating charge.
That was it.
That was the moment something inside me snapped.
I have never seen a man so blind to his own stupidity and arrogance
Training took over before thought could interfere.
My right hand moved first.
In one fluid motion — muscle memory drilled by years of tactical repetition — I swept backward, fingers gripping the handle of my Glock 19 concealed at my lower back.
Reverse draw.
Smooth. Efficient.
I rotated my body forty-five degrees to create a clean sight picture.
The weapon came up.
Muzzle aligned directly between his eyes.
My finger indexed along the frame — discipline preventing premature pressure.
Then it settled onto the trigger.
My breathing slowed. “I’m not the weak Elena you knew back then,” I said quietly.
My voice was lethal now. Controlled.
“If you mess with me, I will drop you right here.”
My gaze didn’t waver. “And nothing will happen to me.”
I tightened my stance.
“Now open the fucking door.”
He didn’t look afraid.
He smiled. Not mockingly. Not nervously.
Slow. Unbothered.
Almost...
Fond.
“You underestimate me, Elena.”
The calmness in his tone made my jaw tighten.
“I wouldn’t want you hurt,” he continued conversationally, as if we were discussing dinner plans instead of a standoff.
