Chapter 21
Salvario
I’ve yet to decide which is more difficult: staying away from her, or staying close. When I can’t see her, the need to see her suffocates me. But the moment she appears, the need to feel her consumes me.
She’s eating breakfast beside me now, and all I want is to pull her into me—to feed on her instead of the seven dishes spread before us.
Antonio enters the dining room, some of the tension eases. He takes his seat.
“Good morning, Antonio,” she chirps.
“Good morning, signorina.”
“I haven’t seen you the past few days. Were you away?”
He nods. “I was away on business.”
He was in Miami, handling a press conference for my company, Texan.
I eat in silence, listening to her discuss world affairs with Antonio. My eyes never leave her.
In these past days, I’ve memorized every small thing about her. Even if I forget myself one day, I won’t forget her.
After breakfast, I retreat to my study with Antonio. We discuss event details until Robin calls. Antonio excuses himself as I answer.
“Boss, Alessio has sent men to search for you in Greenland.” He exhales. “And we recovered a degraded copy of that deleted video. I’ve sent it to you.”
“I’ll look.”
I end the call, open the file, and play the video. The quality is poor, and there’s no audio, but it’s enough for me to see everything.
She stands there with her cousin Matleon and a young woman. Men in race suits enter the hallway. One of them hugs her.
I know who he is. The man she was meant to marry. Roxion Marco.
I narrow my eyes. The hug lasts thirty-six seconds. Longer than I’d like.
But what comes next makes my brows draw together. He leads her into a room and closes the door behind them.
My breath snags in my chest.
The hallway empties. I fast-forward five minutes—to the moment Zloban leaves his room and storms into the one where that motherfucker took Avira. I watch something happen between them, but the room itself stays hidden from this angle.
I need to know what the fuck she was doing in there with him for five minutes.
I’ll ask her.
She comes out. The door clicks shut behind her. And the next second, Zloban fucking Bennett pulls her into a kiss.
My brain whites out.
They kiss like they’ve been starving for each other. I watch for an entire minute—her kissing her adopted brother—as if the universe staged this moment purely to torment me.
A violent rush of heat and cold floods my veins at once. My chest locks up like it’s being crushed. My heart slams so hard it hurts. A deafening ring fills my ears. My hands tremble. Nausea churns in my stomach. A scream lodges in my throat, unable to escape.
It would’ve hurt less if she’d just ripped my heart out and torn it to fucking pieces.
The pain keeps building. It crushes every ounce of life she resurrected in me—until only ashes remain. And beneath them burns an unquenchable thirst for blood.
I shoot to my feet, rip the thin monitor from the desk, and smash it against the far wall. The monsters inside me want to tear me apart—and everything around me. I overturn the table and storm out of my study.
My feet don’t stop until I reach Bruno’s room.
She’s sitting on the couch with a book on her lap. Bruno barks the moment he sees me, jumping down and positioning himself between her and me.
I pull out my gun and aim it at his head. First, I’ll end this bastard dog. I flick off the safety, but before I can pull the trigger, she rushes between him and the gun.
“What are you doing?” she gasps.
Bruno circles her before falling into position at her side, a deep growl thrumming in his chest. I step closer. He lunges. I throw him off with one hand while snapping the gun toward him with the other.
She grabs my hand, her fingers trembling, covering the gun with her other hand.
“No! Please! Don’t!” she shouts, her voice fractured.
Antonio rushes in. He moves to Bruno and pins him down.
I grab her face with my free hand.
“I don’t take orders from a slut who’s fucking her adopted brother.” I spit the words onto her horror-filled face, then shove her away in disgust.
I’m disgusted by her. But I’m more disgusted by myself—for loving this woman.
She doesn’t let go of my hand or the gun. I shove her hands away, sending her back. She stumbles a few steps but lunges forward again when I raise the gun toward the barking bastard.
She stands in front of him, tears streaming down her face.
“Please don’t kill him.”
I level the gun at her head. Bruno thrashes in Antonio’s grip, barking and growling. My molars grind, scraping against each other.
I can’t kill her. I don’t want to kill her.
I want to erase her entirely. From this world. From mine.
I want to erase the day I kidnapped her from my life. I want to erase these last eight nights and days from my existence.
I want to end this woman—who became my world, only to tear it apart.
I lower the gun.
“I’ll show the world what kind of whore you are,” I grit out before turning away.
She won’t let me move. She falls to my feet, clutching my leg.
“Please, don’t do that,” she sobs.
I try to push her aside, but she won’t let go.
“You can only beg for one thing at a time. Either it’s this pathetic dog’s life, or your reputation as a slut.” The words taste like poison. But she deserves every one of them.
She looks up, sobbing, her face twisted in agony. “I beg you. Please don’t do this. It will ruin everything.”
My nostrils flare. My jaw, tightly clenched, twitches. “Didn’t you feel an ounce of this remorse when you played with my fucking heart?” My voice is thick with hatred. “I’ve never hated anything more than I hate you, Avira Bennett.”
I push her away harder this time, freeing my leg, and storm toward my room, dialing Robin. She follows me inside.
The call connects.
“Release the video of Avira and Zloban kissing to the media,” I order.
She drops to her knees, clasping her hands together. “Please don’t do this. Please. She’s not ready for this. Please don’t do this. I beg you.” Her eyes are red-rimmed, glistening with tears, begging me—for her.
“When, boss?” Robin asks.
I end the call and toss the phone onto the bed without taking my eyes off her. I lower myself slowly onto one knee in front of her, grip her chin tightly. She winces.
“Her?” The inferno inside me stills.
Her crying stops abruptly. A moment later, she starts trembling, shaking her head rapidly. “I—I mean me. Not her.”
“Get out.” I release her face and stand.
She doesn’t get up, remaining on her knees.
“Please don’t release that video.”
“Get. Out.”
She rises slowly, her eyes still pleading. I turn my back as she leaves.
Elowen
I see Antonio coming toward me the moment I step out of his room. I rush to him.
“Please, Antonio. Ask him not to do this.”
He nods. “I’ll try my best.”
Then he disappears into his room.
If he releases that video of Avi and Zo kissing, there will be nothing but chaos.
No one knows about them, not even her parents.
They’re not even together yet. Releasing it would ensure they never get to live the love they’ve held for each other for so long.
Zo will make sure of it. He’s already in a place where he’s ready to die—after marrying her off to someone who won’t bring shame to her name. That video will cement his resolve.
I stay standing outside his door.
His hurt and anger tear at my heart. He thinks I played with him. He hates me. I can’t even tell him I’m not Avira—God knows what he’d do to her.
Antonio comes out.
“What did he say?”
Antonio studies me with a strange look, filled with unspoken questions.
“He won’t do anything.”
He holds my gaze for a beat, then leaves.
I walk toward Bruno’s room. He’s tied to the bathroom door handle. I quickly untie the rope from his collar. He sniffs me, licking everywhere he can reach.
I lower myself in the bathroom doorway and hug him tightly.
“I’m so sorry.” My tears start falling again. “He hates me, not you.”
He pulls back and licks my face.
I stay there, holding Bruno, until we hear footsteps approaching.
Bruno and I go rigid. We know those footsteps.
I hold him tighter, my eyes fixed on the corner where he’ll appear.
And he does. Hands in his pockets, he stops short, watching us.
Bruno moves away from me, squaring on all fours. I grab his collar.
“No, Bruno.”
He steps closer. Bruno’s body stiffens, alert. I brace myself to throw myself between his gun and Bruno if he repeats that scene.
He pulls his hand from his pocket. Bruno barks. My eyes lock onto his gloved hand, it’s empty. He lifts it and pats Bruno’s head.
I raise my eyes. His are locked on me. He watches me as he pets Bruno. The anger is still there. I don’t look long enough to see the hatred—I can’t bear it.
I get up on shaky legs, circle around him, and retreat into Bruno’s room.