I stood there.
Frozen.
Breathing heavily.
My arms were empty.
The space where I had been holding her felt colder than the air around me.
How dare he do this to my sister — after sending me to prison and forcing me to lose my child? Wasn’t that punishment enough for her crimes?
What more did he want? How could he justify being this cruel?
My rage surged beyond control.
I turned sharply and stormed inside.
My boots slammed against the polished marble floors with every furious step.
The house that once symbolized power and authority now felt like a prison built from betrayal.
As I moved through it, memories collided with reality.
Every corridor blurred with red — not blood, but anger.
I tore through hallways.
Doors flew open under my force.
Guest suites — empty.
Storage rooms — vacant.
Stairwells — clear.
Alcoves — shadows only.
I searched every possible hiding place.
Looking for him. Looking for that monster.
“Where are you?” I muttered under my breath, voice shaking with contained fury.
“Show yourself, you coward.”
My grip on the gun tightened.
If Ruslan was still here — I would find him.
And this time... I would end him.
The mansion felt hollow — stripped of life, stripped of noise.
Only my ragged breathing filled the silence.
Only the faint ticking of a distant clock somewhere inside the walls reminded me that time was still moving.
My boots moved before I consciously decided where to go next.
