RHEA'S POV One whirlwind after another. One blow after another. Each time dragging me deeper and deeper into the arms of despair. Falling, sinking until the darkness swarmed over my head and I saw no light, no inkling of how to pull myself back up from the depths.My night started in pitch-blackness and blood. It ended in tears as the dawn crested in golden light over the horizon. A despondent ache carved a hole in my chest with pointed claws, wicked and sharp. Each slash cut deeper until no heart remained within me.We arrived at the Makalov mansion as the brilliant globe of the sun peeked over the city-line. Streaks of crimson cut through the rich blue morning sky. It mimicked whatever madness I felt inside of me.There was blood in the water, and I'd find no rest among these sharks.Aleksander left me in the room of his childhood. A room where he fucked me on the bed before dinner with his family. Now where he intended for me to stay for God knows how long.During a heart-wrenchin

Once upon a time, the Makalov family prospered in Russia. My father, Ivano Makalov, and his younger brother Nikolai worked for the Bratva throughout their childhoods and teenage years. Their hard work paid off with each dirty task or gruesome job they completed.Stella knew of my father's and mother's failures in raising me and the squalid conditions we landed in after my father's fall from grace. It was horrifying enough that when Nikolai returned from a business venture in America; he whisked me away from my parents. Most of that time turned dark in my mind and I couldn't remember the severity of the situation.That's all my dancer needed to know. That my father peddled drugs in Russia and impregnated one of his clients. I couldn't stand the thought of telling her about my father, high on his own supply, skimming off the top, and stealing money from the Bratva. All those things put a target on Ivano Makalov's head.Nikolai successfully started up a business after ten years in Americ

RHEA'S POV Aleksander stood before me, shoulders slack and mouth pressed into a thin line. The guilt rose to the surface of his eyes, darkening the rich brown pools. In his gaze, I saw the truth-his silent admission."Even now, you can't bring yourself to open your mouth and admit the truth with your own words?", I spoke in a low voice."You know the truth. I don't know what else you want me to say.""I want to hear it from you, Aleksander! I want you to be the one to tell me these things. Every fucked-up thing you've ever done. You should have been the one to tell me. Your lies have stolen my agency from me." I found myself shouting at the end."I'm sorry that I didn't tell you the truth, Rhea. But I knew you'd react poorly if you learned about the things I'd done. However, I fail to see how that takes your agency away. It's always been my goal to ensure your freedom."I snorted when i heard his words."Of course you fail to see it. Your self-righteous head is so far up your superio

ALEKSANDER'S POVAlthough it should have been me at her side, they would protect Rhea at the safe house. It took a wise man, or at least a competent one, to realize she needed this space away from me. With the progression of our argument, I couldn't call myself a wise man. Not in the least.Sitting at the dining table in my family home, I weighed Rhea's wedding band in my palm. This diamond on her finger had been a brief taste of victory in my life. A sweetness that lingered on the back of the tongue and kept you wanting more and more and more...A glass of whiskey waited at the edge of the table in my peripheral. Each sip burned a fiery path down my throat, easing the ache that tore apart my tattered insides. Without her shining light at my side, I was only a flayed shell of a man.I couldn't regret the things I'd done to protect her, but I bore heavy guilt for how my actions affected her. I'd done her a disservice by keeping the truth from her. Because I'd underestimated Rhea's abil

RHEA'S POV Flickers of memory sparked behind my eyes. Bright lights. The world spinning. Broken glass. A dull throb echoed in the back of my skull.Voices that sounded both distant and near filtered through the high-pitched ringing in my ears. Male voices that didn't seem to hide their raised argument. Yet I couldn't make out a single word they exchanged.My heavy lids refused to open. It felt like they were glued shut. Forcing them only worsened the pounding in my head. Light stung my eyes when they eventually peeled open.The walls were dark, stained with years of dust and grime. Weak yellowish light shone from a metal beam overhead. Abandoned boxes and metalwork littered the spacious warehouse.A twinge of pain in my lower back caused me to shift. A soft clink and pressure on my wrist made me freeze. Agonizingly slow, as though I didn't want to come to terms with what I already knew, I angled my heavy head toward my wrist.No surprise flared within me to find my right wrist handcu