Page 199 of Maddening Fixation

I didn’t answer.

“Let’s talk.” His voice softened. “Like we used to.”

Still, I remained silent.

“You can’t keep staying loyal to a man whose heart is permanently glued to your sister.”

Permanently.

The word echoed through me long after he said it.

I closed my eyes.

My mother had been kidnapped.

No one had found her.

No one had called.

No one had given me a single update.

And now...

The first image I saw after sharing my first truly intimate moment with my husband was of him cradling another woman.

My own sister.

Everything inside me felt stretched to its breaking point.

For the first time all day...

I wanted to stop thinking.

Just for a few hours.

I wanted silence.

I wanted numbness.

Maybe losing myself in loud music and crowded strangers was exactly what I needed.

“I’ll be there,” I said quietly.

Before Egor could respond, I ended the call.

I didn’t care whether Romeo’s men were watching me.

I didn’t care if they reported every move I made.

Romeo couldn’t spend his nights comforting another woman while expecting me to remain locked inside this house, alone with my fear, my grief, and my heartbreak.

Not tonight.

I stood and crossed to the closet, yanking open the doors.

I scanned the rows of dresses until my hand landed on a style I hadn’t worn in years.

Black. Short. Provocative.