Chapter Forty-four Daniel
Chapter Forty-four
Daniel
When I come back to my room, still covered in the blood of my enemy after taking out my aggression on his dead body, the first thing I see is her.
Jennifer.
The only woman I’d ever want.
My chest warms at the sight of her curled up in my bed. She had the choice to sleep in her own room. The choice to stay away from me.
But she’s here. She chose me. That fragile hope I’ve been gripping onto tightens in my chest, even when I know I shouldn’t.
Hope doesn’t belong to men like me. Not when I was cutting the limbs off a corpse only an hour ago.
And yet, it’s still there. Lingering somewhere.
I walk into the bathroom as silently as I can, taking off my blood-stained clothes and spending almost an hour washing all of the blood off my skin and out of my hair.
When I get back, she’s still there. It wasn’t an illusion. I wasn’t hallucinating, either.
Not wanting to wake her, I watch her silently, taking in the way her dark lashes rest against her skin, her lips slightly parted as she breathes. Then, my eyes land on the necklace against her collarbone.
My breath stills.
Is that my mother’s necklace? Is it really hers?
A sharp, sinking feeling grips my chest. I reach out without thinking, fingers brushing the pendant as I lift it. The metal is warm from her skin.
It is exactly what I thought. Fuck.
Jennifer stirs.
“Daniel…” Her voice is soft, barely above a whisper. Her lids flutter, heavy with exhaustion, but she fights to stay awake.
I don’t move my hand from the necklace. “Where did you get this?” My voice is low, steady. Controlled. But something inside me stirs—something dangerous.
Something which is about to be exposed.
She hesitates, her blue eyes flickering with uncertainty. “Lilia… she gave it to me. Only a while before…” Her voice trails off. She doesn’t need to finish. I know what she was about to say.
I gently lift her chin, forcing her to look at me. “I’m sorry,” I whisper against her lips.
Her eyes, filled with anxiety, search mine. Fear. She’s afraid of me. But buried beneath it, I see something else.
A pull, a hesitation—the same temptation and longing I know she doesn’t want to admit is still there.
“You killed him right in front of me,” she whispers, a tear slipping down her cheek. “I… Seeing your whole body covered in blood, Daniel. I just… I couldn’t stay and—”
I don’t let her finish. I wrap my arms around her, kissing her slowly, trying to ground her. Trying to remind her that I’m still the same man. The same man I’ve always been.
The man who loves her with all his heart, and who wants to keep her with him forever.
“I told you I’m not a good man,” I murmur against her lips. “I will never be. I’ve always told you, pretty.”
Her quiet sobs cut through me like a blade. I open my eyes, brushing my thumb over her cheek, wiping away her tears. She’s breaking right in front of me, and for the first time, I don’t know how to fix it.
And worse? I’m terrified I’ll break her even more if I try.
“My pretty girl…” I sigh. My next words will either make or destroy everything.
“That man was involved in my downfall. I could’ve died, and he was part of all this. He deserved this...”
Jennifer looks up at me, her entire body trembling. “I know, but… I couldn’t stay there with you, Daniel. You were so—”
I shake my head, desperate. “No. You were the one who said you’d be fine with my world. You always said it.” My voice drops. “You can’t change your mind now. Please.”
It’s not an order. It’s a plea. And she knows it.
She stays silent, watching me with an expression I can’t read. Then, she speaks, voice barely above a whisper.
“I’m scared of you, and it kills me, but…”
Her words shatter something inside me.
A tear slips from my eye before I can stop it. Jennifer stiffens. The last time she looked this terrified was right after I pulled the trigger.
“I know I should’ve stayed, but I couldn’t. I’m sorry.”
Her words break something inside me I didn’t even know still existed until I’ve met her.
“You can’t leave me.” My voice is barely steady, cracking mid-sentence. I’m losing her. I’m fucking up all of this… I can’t lose her. I just can’t.
She has to stay. With me. It’s meant to be, I know it.
“Baby, please… Answer me…”
My fingers tighten around her wrist, not to hold her back, but to anchor myself. My eyes search for hers, desperate, trying to find the love I know is still there. It has to be there.
“You promised you’d stay. Please, don’t break your promise… Just stay with me, please. I’m begging you, I… I need you. Don’t you see that?”
I have never begged for anything in my life.
But I am begging for her now.
Because deep down, I know—she’s the only woman I was ever truly able to love.
And the way she looks at me? It makes me feel like I’m dying.
Knowing she’s wearing my mother’s necklace, a family heirloom passed down through generations. Knowing she’s the only one I want.
Knowing my family has always been known for their loyalty to their loved ones.
And I can’t even keep one woman’s loyalty to myself.