Rai has agreed to help me.
At first, she was hesitant about going against Adrian since, like the entire brotherhood—or the whole crime world, actually—no one wants to get on his bad side. My husband has the ability to inflict irrevocable damage that no one can escape. He may be silent, but his wrath is lethal.
He’s the type who learns someone’s weakness, exploits it, then suffocates them with it until they wish for death.
I guess that’s what he did to me.
The only difference is that he showed me a side of him I fell in love with, then he took it away, leaving me with painful emotions and hope for nothing.
My gaze strays through the window, watching the empty road go by as Rai’s guard, Ruslan, drives me to a safe house.
I miss Jeremy and his beautiful smile. I miss how he draws me and his father together as if we’re some sort of a happy family. Not seeing him since this morning is messing with my already screwed-up head. I don’t know how the hell I’ll survive a week without his bright energy and contagious smile.
He’s probably asleep by now, having joyful dreams.
I wonder if Winter is sleeping in my bed, fucking Adrian because he looks ‘smoking hot.’ I wonder if he’s already replaced me with her—touching her, driving into her, and cradling her body into his.
Moisture stings my eyes at the image and I shake my head. I will not think about it. Everything has been said and done, and now I have to focus on the future.
But that doesn’t mean those thoughts don’t slice my heart open deep enough to leave a hole.
“Fuck.” Ruslan’s low curse pulls me out of my reverie.
“What?”
“I think we’re being followed, Mrs. Volkov.” He stares at the rear-view mirror.
I shift in the seat to look behind me and my eyes are met with bright, almost blinding headlights.
No.
Adrian couldn’t have found me after all the trouble I went through.
He should be with Winter.
A small part of my heart revels at the idea that her identical appearance didn’t fool him, that he knew it wasn’t me.
But the bigger part wants to break free of my shackles, to just be free of him and his cold shoulder and the way he’s killing me slowly.
“Can’t you go faster?” I urge him.
“Mrs. Sokolov can’t be implicated in this. If Adrian finds out she helped you…”
He will ruin her.
I know he will, and because of that, Ruslan can’t let me implicate Rai. All the doors are closing in my face, and I know I can’t go far, nor can I endanger Rai when she went out of her way to help me.
“Do you have a weapon you can lend me?” I ask.
Ruslan’s brow furrows. “My spare knife.”
“That’ll do.” I’d prefer a gun, but it’s better than nothing.
He reaches into his glove box, pulls out a hunting knife, and hands it to me.
I suck in a deep breath. “Drop me off at a location where they can’t see you.”
“Are you sure, Mrs. Volkov?”
“It’s the only way to protect you and Rai. Please leave before he catches you, or all of you will be in danger.”
He gives a curt nod and accelerates, taking a swift turn toward the forest. Gravel and dirt crunch under the car’s tires, and then it comes to a halt.
“Thank Rai on my behalf,” I say and dash out of the car with the knife nestled in my palm.
Darkness has staked its claim on the forest, making it eerily quiet with the occasional haunting sounds coming from the night owls. The tall trees shape the distance and everything looks black, aside from the moon shining above, partially camouflaged by clouds.
I don’t think as I run in the opposite direction to Ruslan. I barely see a path in the forest and I follow it, all my fears about the unknown vanishing in the background.
“Lia!” The very familiar voice bellows from not too far behind me, sending tendrils of fear down to my soul.
Run.
I have to run.
My heart thumps harder, slamming against my ribcage as I charge through the forest.
“Lia, stop!”
No!
If I do, everything will be over. This time, I won’t be able to survive his wrath and I will splinter into irredeemable pieces.
This time, it’ll be the end.
“Lia!” His voice is nearer, moving in closer, as if he’s pulling me back by the marionette strings attached to my nape.
The knife is heavy in my hand as I slice it through branches and anything else that gets in my way.
A rustling of footsteps comes from behind me and I halt, spinning around and waving the knife. I gasp when it hits a warm body.
Adrian.
He barely winces as I release the knife, letting it fall to the ground, but the damage is already done. The blade has penetrated his bicep. Under the moonlight, I can make out the blood dripping from his jacket. His face is shadowed by both the darkness and the anger that’s tightening his jaw.
Something tells me it’s not because of the wound.
That’s all I can focus on, though.
The injury.
His life essence oozes out of his bicep in a steady rhythm. I wrap both hands around it and squeeze, willing it to stop.
However, blood slips between my fingers, coating them, warm and almost black in the darkness as it drips to the ground.
“You need to make it stop.” My voice is a haunted murmur.
“What about you? Are you ever going to stop escaping me?”
I flinch at his words, releasing him and stepping backward.
The reason I unintentionally stabbed him in the first place slams back into me.
I have to run.
I turn and sprint away, but my gaze keeps flitting to my bloodied hands, to Adrian’s life on my hands.
I finished it today. I think I finally signed the death certificate of our relationship. As fucked-up as it was, what we had was a relationship and I just killed it.
Thudding footsteps sound behind me and I know he’ll catch up to me in no time. He’ll take me back and it’ll all be over.
Jumbled thoughts and emotions coil inside me with a wrecking force. They mount and scatter in different directions, stealing my breaths.
My sanity.
My everything.
Reality blurs with something a lot more potent—hallucinations.
My demons start whispering in my head, words that I can’t even discern.
Oh, God, no.
Please don’t torture me with my own mind.
I dig my nails into my wrist and a tear slides down my cheek as pain explodes on my skin. If I hoped for this to be a nightmare, my wish doesn’t come true.
My feet come to a halt at the top of a cliff. I stare down at the violent waves hitting the harsh angular rocks with trembling limbs.
I don’t think I’ve ever been attracted to something so frightening.
No, I actually have.
Adrian.
Seems I’m broken beyond repair, because since the beginning, I think I was attracted to the danger he promised. And that only consumed me until there was nothing left.
He said he’d ruin me, and he did that with flying colors.
“Lia.”
My name leaves his mouth in a whisper, and I turn around to meet his gaze, my feet on the edge.
Adrian is a few steps away from me, deep lines etched in his forehead. “Come down.”
“So you’ll take me back and lock me up?” I taste salt, and it’s then that I realize tears are soaking my cheeks.
“No.”
“You will! You’ll also take Jeremy away from me for good. You’ll torture me with your silent treatment until I go mad or kill myself.”
“I will not do that.”
“You’ve been doing it already! Can’t you see that you’ve been slowly killing me? Killing us? You don’t even kiss me anymore.” I hate how my voice breaks with pain.
“That’s because you fucking cheated on me! I have only ever been faithful to you, but you met another man behind my back.”
“And you’ve been just using me!”
He sucks in a long breath, calming his voice. “Come down and we’ll talk about this.”
“What’s there to talk about?”
“Everything, Lenochka.”
“I want to know something first.” My chin trembles as I speak so low, I’m surprised he hears me, “Have you ever loved me, Adrian?”
He pauses as if the question is alien to him, but he doesn’t reply. Fresh tears stream harder at the answer he indirectly gives me. He hasn’t. Or, more accurately, he doesn’t know what love means.
Never has and never will.
“Because I loved you.” I lay a palm over my heart and fist the material of my dress. “And it’s killing me every day.”
He extends the hand of his uninjured arm. “Come down, Lenochka. Please.”
“I took your hand before, Adrian, and you smothered me with it.” I smile a little. “I’d rather die quickly than slowly.”
“Lia, no!”
I close my eyes and let the wind take me down.
