Page 119

“Do I look like I fucking care?” His voice rises, and I jerk back.

“S-Sergei?” I gulp.

“Did I say you could leave?” He speaks again and there’s so much rage swirling within him; I burn with its intensity. “Do. Not. Leave. Me. Elara!”

He blinks, his jaw ticking and he tries to breathe, his chest rises and falls in quick succession.

“Hey.” I grab the hint of panic beneath his voice and take a small step towards him. “I’m not leaving you.” I lie through my teeth.

“Fuck.” He scrubs his hands over his face, his eyes turned down, peering at the floor.

Silence. Deafening silence.

“Then stay!” He says in a small, broken voice and my heart hammers in my chest. “Don’t go.”

“I’ll be here before you even wake up.”

“Bold of you to assume I can sleep without you.” He lets out a quiet snort, but there’s no humour in it.

He’s hurting. And even though I know I’m the reason for it, I still find myself taking a step back.

“I promise, Sergei.” My voice is soft but the way his shoulders tighten tells me I’ve said the wrong thing. “I’ll be back, okay?” I try again but he doesn’t reply.

TWENTY-FIVE

Sergei

“Who is he?”

The loud voice booms through the speakers and I find Elara peering down on the floor as they both enter her apartment.

“I’m paying for an empty apartment while you’re off living with your rich boyfriend?”

Now, I don’t know much about siblings, but if Roman and Alina’s relationship is anything to go by, this isn’t affection, which only tells me that there is no love lost between the sisters.

“You’re not paying for anything, Amara.” Elara speaks in a low defeated voice, her shoulders slumped as she settles down on the couch, pulling her legs close to her chest.

“Oh! Your boyfriend is paying for it then, huh?” She spits the word like it’s something filthy. What the fuck is wrong with this screaming bellend?

“Amara, if you’re here to shout at me, save your breath. I won’t feel guilty for liking a man.”

She likes me.

The thought blooms in my chest so suddenly it almost steals the air from my lungs.

The joy doesn’t last long because I see her sister’s trashy mouth opening again. She’s eyeing Elara’s neck, where I bit her, and her permanent scowl turns into a sneer as she speaks.

“Look at all these bite marks, is he an animal?” She reaches out and presses a finger into the angry bruise.

Elara flinches violently, stumbling backward with a startled shove.

The small couch tips up at the front as she loses balance, and goes crashing down with a heavy thud.

Elara grunts and I get out of my car that’s parked right outside her building.

Yes, I followed them. You’d think I’d leave her alone with that degenerated, knob-head of a sister?

I hate that woman.