Page 85 of Maddening Fixation

Which somehow made it even more terrifying.

“You’ll forget what happiness feels like. You’ll wake up every morning wishing you’d walked away while you still could.”

She moved close enough that I could smell her perfume beneath the faint trace of salt left by her tears.

“You’ve always underestimated me.”

Her whisper brushed my ear. “You have absolutely no idea what I’m capable of.”

The words settled over the room like a death sentence.

For several long seconds, neither of us moved.

Then she stepped back.

Without another glance, she turned and strode toward the door.

It slammed shut behind her with enough force to rattle the framed portraits lining the walls.

Silence rushed back into the study.

I stood motionless, listening to my own heartbeat.

Only after several moments did my legs finally give way.

I sank into Grandfather’s chair, the legal documents still clutched tightly against my chest.

Two years.

That was all the will demanded.

Two years married to the one man who had never truly known me, yet had somehow been a part of me for most of my life.

Two years to make Romeo see the woman behind the name.

To make him understand that Yarina was not the woman he believed her to be.

Two years to make him question everything he thought he knew.

Two years to make a man who saw me as nothing more than his lover’s sister perhaps look at me differently.

Perhaps...

Even admire me.

I closed my eyes, the weight of the decision pressing heavily against my chest.

Could I really do this?

Father’s decisions were rarely challenged, and I knew this one would be no different. Not for long, at least.

Besides, refusing Grandmother’s final wish because of threats from relatives who only cared about what they could gain would make me no different from them.

Father was right.

He would handle them.

And the truth was, the inheritance was not merely about wealth. Those assets kept the Sokolov family powerful. They strengthened Father’s position as capo and ensured no one could easily challenge his authority.