“Of course I’m here,” I deadpan. “This is my apartment. The better question is, why are you here?”
“Alina,” he says softly, like saying my name alone should fix everything. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you. You disappeared after the party and you haven’t been home in ages. I thought… well, I won’t tell you what I thought.”
I make him continue, though, curious what lies he’s going to spew.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he continues, voice tightening. “Do you have any idea how dangerous this is?”
“Why is it dangerous?” I ask him skeptically. Maybe, I just want to hear him incriminate himself.
“Look, Alina,” he says, running his hand through his hair like he does when he’s nervous. “There are things about my family that I never told you. Things I couldn’t tell you because I wanted to keep you safe.”
I cross my arms and quirk my eyebrow at him, willing him to explain.
“There’s this man—Andrei Markov. He’s a dangerous crime lord that wants to destroy my family. When you disappeared, I was sure he had you.”
I bristle at his words. I know exactly who Andrei is, so his “confession” doesn’t scare me. If anything, it annoys me to hear him talk about Andrei at all.
“He’s a monster, Alina,” he continues. “He’d kill you just because of your connection to me. Let me take you away from here and keep you safe.”
He reaches for me, but I pull away, glaring at him.
“You want to keep mesafe?” I shoot back. “That’s rich, Kostya. Did you want to keep me safe when you screwed a waitress at our engagement party? Was that you protecting me?”
His face darkens and he takes a step back, like I slapped him.
“I made a mistake, Alina,” he seethes. “Everyone makes mistakes. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love you. That man is a killer. He will destroy your family like he’s tried to destroy mine. He’s already holding your father captive.”
I know Andrei has had my father in a safe location since the engagement party. He told me when we were at the fourth safehouse. He assured me it was just a precaution, but the thought of my dad in any kind of danger still unsettles me. I know that’s exactly what Kostya’s counting on though.
“I’ve spoken to my father. He’s just fine. I’m fine too,” I say, gesturing to my empty apartment. “There are no boogeymen here. No one’s trying to destroy me, except for you.”
His face hardens, and there’s a dangerous glint in his eye. For the first time, I can see what Andrei means. Maybe Kostya is more dangerous than I thought.
“You’re not,” he insists, stepping closer into my space, his voice as cold as ice. “You’re trapped by that man, and you don’t even realize it. He’s manipulating you. I can get you out of this, Alina. I can protect you. I can fix everything.”
He tries to take my hands again. Again, I pull them away from disgust. His mask has finally dropped completely, and I see him for who he’s always been. How could I have been so blindbefore? How could I think that such a psychopath could ever be someone I should marry?
His jaw tightens in frustration, and he towers over me, making himself more physically intimidating. It’s the first time I’ve ever felt afraid of him.
“I still love you,” he says, though his voice is threatening. “None of this changes that. We belong together. You know we do.”
My ears roar and I swallow hard, staring at his chest rather than meeting his gaze. He forces me to look up at him, so I glare with all the rage I can muster.
“I could even help your father,” he adds, his voice softer but somehow more dangerous. “But I need to know you’re with me. Truly with me. Because without that, I can’t guarantee his safety.”
He’s threatening me and pretending that it’s love. This is who he is. Probably who he always was. A shiver runs through me, and I resist the urge to punch him in the face. I realize suddenly that I hate him. Not because of what he did, but because of who he is. He’s a horrible, manipulative person, and always was.
For a moment, the weight of that thought presses down hard enough that I almost can’t breathe. I know my dad is safe for now, but if Kostya has worked this hard to get to Andrei, who’s to say that he can’t get to my dad?
Fear curls low in my stomach, but beneath it, something steadier holds. I know the truth now, and I’m not alone. I slip my hand into my pocket and press the alarm. Footsteps echo faintly from somewhere behind me.
Kostya doesn’t notice yet. He’s too busy watching my face, waiting for me to give him what he wants.
“I’m not coming back,” I say firmly. “I never would. You’re a piece of shit and you always were.”
The words feel final the second they leave my mouth. His expression fractures.
“You don’t mean that,” he says through clenched teeth. He’s angry with me.
