Chapter 24 – Adrik
Watching her leave with a broken heart shattered mine in a way I never thought possible. I knew this would happen, and that’s why I kept it to myself.
This was Richard’s parting gift to me, creating a rift between my wife and me. If he hadn’t planted that seed of curiosity in her, none of this would’ve happened. I may or may not have told her the truth.
But he had to open that big mouth of his and ruin what I spent months building. And to think it was his idea to keep the information to myself. The night he’d told me who Kenji Morgan was, he urged me not to say a word to his granddaughter.
According to him, she’d been through a lot already, and it would be pointless to dump that on her. At the time, I thought he was looking out for her, but I knew better now. Richard had already planned from that moment to use that secret against me later on.
I hadn’t seen through his lies.
In my defense, I hadn’t initially cared about Emika or this marriage. I thought it was stupid and just wanted to fulfill my obligations to the brotherhood. Pakhan Artem called, and I answered. No big deal. Nothing important.
Except it turned out to be the most important decision I ever made. If I’d known that things were going to turn around so fast, I would’ve told her earlier on. I was a fool to believe that I was immune to heartbreak, that even if she found out the truth, nothing would change.
It was crazy how she’d managed to slither her way into my heart in such a short time.
She’d broken down my high walls without even trying and reminded me of what it felt like to be human again.
Around her, I wasn’t the same mean and ruthless killer that the rest of the world knew me to be.
I was different. Calmer. More understanding. And vulnerable.
I was vulnerable to her touch, her smile, her laugh, and the way her eyes lit up whenever she was happy. I was vulnerable to her tears and the way her shoulders trembled whenever she wept.
She was my better half, the light in my darkness, and my kryptonite. She was the one who transformed my mansion from a house into a home. She brought light and life to the space, and because of her, I always looked forward to coming home.
I’d fought battles—won some, lost some—and I’d wrestled men twice my size. Yet nothing scared me like the thought of losing her. We had something good going on, and I didn’t want to ruin it.
Emika had saved my life three times in one day—three fuckin’ times. First, when she pulled a gun on her grandfather. Then, when she pushed me away from the window just before the gunfire. And lastly, when she put three bullets into an enemy who would’ve shot at us if she’d hesitated.
She’d become a killer to save me. In my book, that was the defining characteristic of a perfect wife. She’d lost herself just to fit in. She’d survived what should’ve killed her, and everything could be traced back to me.
Emika was right when she said, “Ever since I met you, my life has sucked!”
Although those words had cut deeper than a knife, the fact remained that everything bad that had happened to her recently was my fault. She hadn’t only inherited my last name. She’d also inherited my enemies and my willingness to do whatever it took to survive.
Because of me, Emika wasn’t the same woman I’d married months ago. I honestly wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
That night, after the sex and the big reveal that had left her in tears, I decided to crash on the couch in my office. I knew she needed some time alone and didn’t want to encroach on her space. So, I let her be.
It broke my heart to not be there for her, but at the same time, I figured it was best to stay away for now. Besides, I had no idea what I was going to say that would make it hurt any less.
The next morning, I woke to the sun’s warm rays on my face. A slight groan escaped my lips as I sat up with my feet on the floor. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes, then stretched for a second.
My body ached from all that fighting yesterday, but I ignored the pain and rose to my feet. I combed my fingers through my hair, my heart skipping at the fact that Emika was still mad at me.
I drew a deep breath and headed out to go check on her—hopefully, she’d be a lot calmer by now.
When I got to the master bedroom, I pushed the door open and waltzed inside. I stood at the entrance with a racing pulse as I watched her fold her clothes into a suitcase.
Her shoes were on the floor, and her closet door was open, revealing the empty hangers. On the bed was a pile of clothes, the same ones she was nearly folding into a suitcase.
It better be that she was only rearranging her things, not packing.
“What’re you doing?” I asked, walking further inside.
“I’m leaving.”
It felt like I’d been shot right in the chest.
“Emi—”
“I can’t do this anymore, Adrik,” she said, meeting my gaze. Her voice was devoid of rage but laced with pain. “I can’t.”
I pursed my lips, my heart breaking.
“I look at myself in the mirror, and I don’t recognize the woman staring back at me,” she added. “I don’t…I don’t even know who or what I am anymore.”
“You’re my wife,” I said, my voice low and even.
“That’s the problem.” She paused for a second. “Being your wife was what got me into this mess in the first place.”
Fair enough.
“I just want things to go back to the way they used to be before I met you,” she continued. “And if you ever cared about me, you’ll let me go. You’ll respect my decision.”
I wasn’t sure that I’d be able to survive on my own if I let her leave. But at the same time, I wasn’t going to keep her bound to me anymore. She didn’t want to stay, so why force her to?
At this point, I couldn’t force her to do anything anymore. I’d lost that power over her when I started to feel attached to her.
On the outside, it appeared as though I had everything under control. However, on the inside, I was falling to pieces, and my heart was being ripped to shreds. In all my years on earth, no bullet or knife wound had ever hurt me like this.
Perhaps it was best for her to leave. Emika wasn’t the only one who couldn’t recognize themselves in a mirror. I was growing soft because of her. So maybe drifting apart wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
Legally, she was free to go. With her grandfather dead, there was no alliance left to hold. The foundation of our arranged marriage had collapsed, meaning that neither of us was bound to the other.
After all that had happened, nobody would blame her for leaving. She’d always wanted to leave this place; that was why she’d run away before. She’d felt caged and longed to be set free.
“You really want to leave?” I asked her.
She clenched her jaw and nodded.
I hesitated for a while, my pulse racing. “Okay.”
Silence.
The tension in the room was so thick I could barely breathe.
“I’m not gonna stop you,” I said. “Not because I don’t want to. But because I wanna respect your decision.”
She swallowed, blinking back the tears in her eyes. “Thank you.”
I paused, taking a second to calm myself and steady my voice. “Sergei will take you wherever you wanna go, and don’t worry, I won’t spy on you.”
She pressed her lips into a fine line, her chest rising and falling with slow breaths.
For the next few seconds, neither of us said a word, and neither of us broke eye contact. If I had my way, I wouldn’t let her leave. But I’d rather she chose to stay than be forced to do so.
Finally, I broke the silence. “Goodbye, Emika.”
She lowered her head, as if to hide her tears. Without another word, I walked out of the room, leaving her alone.