Chapter 14 – Ravyn
The cat was out of the bag now.
My heart was racing in my chest, and my breath lodged in my throat as I sat across from him. The rage in his eyes was glaring, and his tightened jaw accentuated the deep scowl on his face.
The kids were upstairs, and his men had stepped outside, leaving just the two of us. I could barely stomach the tension that hovered in the air, threatening to squeeze the life out of me. His intimidating glare made it difficult to hold his gaze.
For the past three minutes, it had been awkwardly silent between us, and he wouldn't tear his blazing eyes off me. There was no telling what he would do next. The fury in his gaze couldn't be more obvious, yet it was next to impossible to predict his next move.
I'd always known that this day would come, the day that my past would catch up with me. But despite how long it took for him to find me, I still wasn't prepared—I wasn't ready to face him.
Running away from him after witnessing what he did was one thing. Keeping his kids away from him was an entirely different ball game altogether. His anger after finding out about the children had escalated, and now I was in even deeper shit than before.
I tried to muster all the courage that I could, but it seemed impossible to put up a brave face at the moment. I was unable to look him in the eye, too afraid to catch a glimpse of the evil dancing in their depths. I'd never seen a man so furious like this before, and that terrified me.
I felt like I was seated with the devil, having no idea what he would choose to do to me. Lev could pull out his gun and squeeze the trigger in a split second. And then puff! Just like that, my life would be over in jiffy.
Everything I'd worked so hard to build would go down the drain in the blink of an eye. At this point, my life was in his hands—one wrong move from me, one bad word, and it would all be over.
Over the past few minutes, I'd attempted to plead with his conscience, but I hadn't been able to find my voice or the right words. It was as if my brain had abandoned me, leaving me blank and helpless.
I could feel the heat rising within me, making me sweat in awkward places. My pulse had quickened more than it ever had, and I could hear the sound of my own heart pounding heavily in my chest.
His intimidating glare and silent seething made my core tremble as I sat quietly, fidgeting with my hands on my lap.
I drew a deep breath and summoned the courage to raise my head and meet his gaze, my chest heaving slowly. “Lev, I…I can explain.” The words fell out of my mouth, low and barely above a whisper.
“It's pretty obvious, isn't it?” he asked, his tone eerie and cold. “You decided on your own that I had no right to know about my kids, to be a part of their lives.” His jaw clenched, and his words were spoken through gritted teeth.
I could see the rage flashing in his blazing eyes. His fingers balled into fists as he stared into my soul. I'd never been so terrified in my whole life, and no matter how hard I tried to remain composed, I couldn't.
My heart wouldn't stop pounding like a freaking drum, and for some reason, I was unable to stop blinking. Maybe it was a mechanism to mask my nervousness
He continued, his voice calm but dripping with venom, “How dare you?”
His tone sent shivers down my core and a sudden dryness in my throat. It was as though I could feel my life leaving my body, my soul crushing at the sound of his voice.
I had no idea what he was going to do to me, no clue what his reaction would be like, and that uncertainty was killing me slowly.
“Lev, please,” I muttered, my lips quivering, a lone tear trickling down my cheek.
“You robbed me of my kids, Ravyn!” The words tumbled out in a hushed, angry tone that cut through the air like a knife.
I flinched at his growl. My skin prickled, my breath hitched in my dry throat, and I swallowed hard.
His gaze seethed with anger. His face twisted into a snarl, eyes blazing red. “For five years, you denied me of fatherhood. You ran away with my kids without telling me—what was the plan, to keep them away from me for life?” His voice rose with each sentence as he spoke, his intimidating glare intensifying by the second.
“I'm sorry,” I said, my eyes dropping to the floor.
“No. You're not,” he replied swiftly, leaning forward without looking away. “You did this on purpose. You planned to flee, to keep my kids from me, and I wanna know why.”
His demand left room for my response, but I was so caught up in my own fear that I didn't realize I was toiling with his patience.
“Answer me!” he thundered, his palms slamming against his lap.
Startled, I almost jumped out of my skin, my heart stopping for a moment. His reaction had stolen my breath and also my voice, and now my mouth was open, but no sound was produced.
Where was my brain now that I needed it?
“Why did you do it?” he repeated, annoyance simmering beneath the surface. “Why did you decide that I wasn't worthy enough to know of their existence?”
I managed to raise my head and look at him, my heart sinking into my stomach. “Because I was afraid,” I responded at last, my voice a little rusty from disuse coupled with the nervousness that consumed me.
His expression softened ever so slightly, almost undetected. His eyes squinted, and a subtle glint of intrigue and curiosity etched on his face.
“I was afraid, okay?” I began, sniffling as I wiped my tears. “You know the kind of life you live; it's a dangerous one filled with chaos, death, and destruction.” As I spoke, I felt my confidence gradually seeping back, my voice rising with each sentence. “Lev, you have enemies everywhere—enemies that wouldn't mind going the extra mile just to hurt you.”
He leaned back in his chair, his eyes betraying the stoic expression on his rigid face.
I continued, his silence boosting morale. “I didn't want my kids growing up in such a world of violence. I'd be putting a giant bullseye on them for enemies to target.”
He stared at me, clenching his jaw, although I could sense his anger dissolving at my reason. Any reasonable human being would understand my fear, and so could he, but it still didn't change the fact that he was mad at me.
“Also, I didn't trust your ability to be a father,” I spat, looking into those hollow eyes of his.
He squinted, his scowl deepening, mirroring his displeasure at my tone and assumption.
“I watched you kill a man in cold blood, Lev. Pardon my skepticism about your credibility as a father,” I added, holding his gaze even though my whole body was tensing, quivering with fear.
He hesitated for a moment. “You think I'm a monster.” His lips curled into a faint, self-satisfying smirk. “You're not wrong. I am.”
Something about the way he unapologetically owned up to his monstrosity made my skin prickle.
He edged closer, his voice dropping to a menacing whisper. “I am a horrible man, Ravyn. I've done many horrible things, and I will do more horrible things.”
Cold sweat dampened my forehead, and a shiver sprinted through my spine, amplifying the terror I tried so hard to mask.
“Make no mistake,” he continued without breaking eye contact, “I am as evil as they come. But as devilish as I can be, I would never let anyone so much as touch a hair on my children's head. Without hesitation, I will wipe half the planet in order to keep them safe if it ever comes to that.”
Somehow, I didn't doubt that one bit. It was both scary and refreshing at the same time. Indeed, he seemed like the type of man who would end whoever would be stupid enough to harm his family.
He might be able to keep them safe, but for how long? How long until someone figured out how to hurt them or worse?
Even if he could protect them from his enemies, who was going to protect them from him? I didn't want them to be a part of his life of crime and violence. I didn't want my son, Nikolai, to turn into a man like his father, cold and dangerous.
However, at this point, there really wasn't much that I could do.
He rose to his feet, fingers fastening the buttons of his double-breasted coat. “Get the kids ready. You’re all coming back with me to Chicago,” he declared, his voice firm and authoritative.
My brows arched instantly. “What?” I mumbled, rising to my feet, my heart racing like I didn't expect this from him.
“You made your choice five years ago,” he said, meeting my gaze. “Now, I'm making mine.” The finality in his voice left no room for arguments.
A million thoughts were tugging at my mind as I stood there, frozen in shock as he approached me.
Lev halted in front of me and leaned to whisper a chilling threat that sent shivers down my spine. “Try to play clever again, and I assure you you'll end up dead…just like the world already thinks you are.” His breath grazed against my ear, his tone devoid of emotion.
The deadly intent behind his words made my heart skip a beat. My palms were sweaty, and my breath was heavy as he pulled back and stared at me, an evil smirk playing on the corner of his lips.
He wasn't bluffing. I knew that for sure.
Lev withdrew from me, his shoes clicking against the wooden floor as he headed out of the house. I blinked rapidly, my heart aching as I tried to fight the tears in my eyes.
The sofa crunched beneath my weight the moment I sank back into it, thinking about my new reality. I was doomed now that Lev was back in my life. In just a few hours, I'd lost everything I worked so hard to build in the last five years.
Lev's arrival had robbed me of my peace, happiness, and fulfillment. He left me with no choice but to abandon everything and follow him. Defying his orders would be stupid; I'd be putting myself in harm's way. What good would that do for anyone?
If I decided to be stubborn and something bad were to happen to me, he'd claim my kids. Lev would remold them in his own image, and in a few years, they'd forget all about me. I'd be nothing but a ghost, a memory that would, in time, fade from their minds.
I couldn't have that. I would succumb to his demand and do as he wanted, so long as I'd get to keep my life and be around my kids.
Leaving all of this behind was a huge sacrifice, but I was willing to do whatever it took to be on the safe side.