“Don’t do that. You’ve been lying to me this entire time!”
“TO PROTECT YOU!” I shout, not directed at her, but I just can’t control the rage I feel at the entire situation. I can’t control myself.
Willow takes another step back, tears flowing freely down her face now and each one sends a stabbing sensation to my heart.
“How can you protect me better than the police Dragna? How can your security do a better job at protecting me than the fucking police!!” She screams back at me and I already feel the carpet being pulled from underneath us both before my next words come out, knowing they will destroy everything.
Chapter Thirty Seven
Willow
“BECAUSE I OWN THE FUCKING CITY WILLOW! Is that what you want to know? What you want me to say? You want the truth.” He laughs sardonically.
“I’m the fucking Pakhan, do you know what that means?” He grits out, poking his own chest brutally
“I’m Bratva, the Russian mob, mafia, whatever you want to call it, I’m a bad man. I have blood on my hands, a lot of it might I add. I’ve killed men with my bare hands. I’ve tortured people. I’ve done things your mind can’t even begin to imagine. Whatever the worst thing you’re thinking right now that I’ve possibly done…” His breath shakes, his whole body shakes.
“It’s worse.” He spits out.
My whole body is numb. I stare at this man in front of me and I don’t know who he is. I don’t recognise him. The look on his face, his disheveled hair, the light in his eyes that’s now a creeping darkness suddenly taking over him.
Memories from the past few months flash in my mind and I feel my heart cracking as I relive each one, realising that it was all a lie.
“No…” I don’t recognise my own voice when I speak. I bring a hand to my mouth as I feel myself start to wretch. I clutch my stomach and fist the shirt I’m wearing, Dragna’s shirt. Now all I have are thoughts of if he’s worn this shirt while doing the awful things he said he’s done. I need out of it. I need out of this house.
My entire body shakes as I drop to my knees and sob. Gasping for breath I grip my own throat.
“Willow! Breathe!” I hear Dragna’s voice echo in my ear but I pay him no attention as I sink lower to the ground, folded over against my thighs and plant my hands in front of me.
I don’t even care how I must look right now or about the slight nipping pain I feel against my palms and my legs. Nothing hurts more than my heart in this moment.
My eyes are open but I can’t see anything past the tears. Everything looks and sounds like I’m underwater and I try to suck in a breath but I feel like my chest doesn’t move, that it can’t move. I feel arms around me, lifting me up and I can’t even find the energy to fight against the hold on me.
“Breathesestryonka.” A commanding voice tells me and when I look up, it’s Lev’s face staring down at me, not Dragna.
“I’m so sorry.” He speaks again and suddenly a violent sob rips out from inside me, shaking my whole body even further. He holds me tighter as he walks through Dragna’s house with purpose until we get to one of the bathrooms.
“You… You’re all…” I say through harsh breaths and cries. Lev sets me down on the bathroom counter and strides to the medicine cabinet.
“Alina…” I cry even harder.
“Does she—”
“Yes.” He cuts off the rest of my question already knowing what I was going to ask.
One word, just that one word of confirmation from him and I break.
I crack.
I shatter.
He sets whatever he got from the cabinet down beside me and braces himself against the counter.
“That’s why we broke up. She found out, and not in a good way either. There’s also more to that story but I’ll let her tell you herself.”
He doesn’t move and I continue crying as I bring my knees up to chin. I feel a sharp, burning sensation and hiss out in pain.
“Be careful, you’ve got glass stuck everywhere.” He tells me and I look down as he begins walking away out of the bathroom and notice all the blood running down my legs, it flows from my hands, knees and shins and drips slowly from my feet onto the bathroom floor.
