Page 138 of Maddening Fixation

I turned instinctively.

Keegan stepped inside, keys dangling from his hand, his face as unreadable as always.

His sharp eyes swept the room, instantly reading the suffocating tension.

From Romeo...

To Yarina...

Then finally to me.

“Take her home. Now.” Romeo ordered, his voice cold steel that left no room for argument.

Yarina stared at him, her perfectly composed mask shattering. “What?”

A shaky, nervous laugh escaped her. “We’re not finished talking. Besides, I planned to stay here tonight—”

For a long moment, Romeo simply looked at her.

His expression softened — just barely — in a way I had never once seen directed at me. It wasn’t warmth exactly, but it was patience. Consideration. Something human.

“Yarina,” he said quietly, “go with Keegan. We’ll talk another time.”

The contrast hit me like a slap.

That softness, that patience... it would never be for me.

To him, I was nothing but filth he was forced to tolerate. Something to break.

Without another word, he flicked his gaze to Keegan. The underboss moved immediately.

“Miss Sokolov,” Keegan said respectfully, “it’s time.”

“No.” Yarina shook her head, stepping back. “I’m not leaving.”

“Yarina.” Romeo’s voice stayed calm, but the dangerous edge returned. “Go.”

She looked at him for several painful seconds, then exhaled in frustration. “You’re choosing her over me now?”

Romeo’s expression hardened instantly, all traces of softness gone.

His eyes flicked toward me for a split second — filled with such visceral hatred and resentment that my stomach twisted in fear.

I saw it clearly: no matter how much he might tolerate Yarina, I was the one he truly wanted to destroy.

“I’m choosing to end this conversation,” he said flatly. “Go.”

The ruthlessness of it chilled me to the bone.

Even the woman he actually seemed to care about was dismissed the moment it involved controlling me.

If he could toss her aside so coldly... what would he do to me — the wife he openly loathed?

Reluctantly, Yarina turned toward the door, shooting me one last poisonous glare as Keegan escorted her out.

The door clicked shut behind them, leaving me alone with the monster who had just proven exactly how little mercy existed in his world.

I remained rooted where I stood, unable to tear my eyes away from him.